Bhubaneswar: Hitting out at Odisha’s BJD government over the death of Gobinda Sahu, main accused in Mamita Meher murder case, opposition BJP and Congress on Tuesday demanded a CBI probe into the incident alleging a major conspiracy behind it.
Senior BJP leader and MP Basanta Panda said the death of Sahu in a mysterious condition has triggered suspicion as he was slated to be produced before a court later on Tuesday.
There is every possibility that Sahu might have been eliminated as part of a big conspiracy to save high-profile leaders in the case, he claimed, demanding a high-level probe into the incident to ascertain whether it was a case of murder or suicide.
Demanding a CBI probe into the episode, the former Odisha BJP president said that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should immediately hand over the matter to the central agency for a thorough investigation as the state police cannot be trusted.
There seems to be an effort to give a clean chit to former Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra in the case, he alleged adding that Sahu’s death has raised many questions as it happened on the day when he was scheduled to be produced in the court.
Voicing similar views, BJP state Mahila Morcha president Smruti Patnaik told reporters that Sahu might have been killed to destroy evidence of alleged complicity of former Minister Mishra in the murder case.
Demanding a high-level probe into Sahu’s death, she said CCTV footage must be examined to unearth the truth. She wondered how he could commit suicide despite high security in the jail and claimed that Sahu was either killed or compelled to take the extreme step.
In a scathing attack on the BJD government, senior Congress leader and MLA Santosh Singh Saluja also alleged a big conspiracy behind Sahu’s death to shield influential people including the former minister.
Alleging that it appears to be a case of murder and not suicide, he said only a CBI probe into the incident will unravel the truth.
Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Bhakta Charan Das also said that a thorough probe by CBI can ascertain whether Sahu died by suicide or he was killed to shield others in Mamita murder case.
Veteran Congress and legislator leader Suresh Routray demanded a judicial probe into the incident to ascertain whether Sahu was murdered or he died by suicide.
Sahu reportedly died by suicide at Kantabanji sub-jail in Balangir district on Tuesday allegedly by hanging himself.
Mamita, a resident of Jharni village in Balangir’s Turekela block, was working as a teacher at Sunshine English Medium School at Mahaling in Kalahandi district. The 24-year-old teacher went missing on October 8, 2021. Alleging involvement of the school’s managing committee president Sahu in her disappearance, Mamita’s family members lodged a complaint with the police. On October 19, charred remains of Mamita’s body were exhumed from the construction site of a stadium near the school.
Sahu was then arrested for abducting and murdering Mamita with help of his driver Radheshyam Chandi.
On October 8, Sahu reportedly received Mamita at Chandotara. He then drove her in his car to Bhawanipatna for shopping. Later, both went to the Manikeswari temple and on the way back, he strangulated her to death on the back seat of the car.
Earlier this month, principal of Mahaling College Ranjit Sahu and a management committee member Kruti Chandan were arrested on the charges of influencing witnesses in the murder case.
