Bhubaneswar: Demanding a fair probe and justice in the Mamita Meher murder case, the Odisha Congress on Saturday hit out at Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra and senior police officers, including the state DGP, accusing them of shielding the main accused.
Addressing a press conference here, Odisha Congress spokesperson Nishikanta Mishra alleged that this was being done to protect the minister, who the Opposition parties have accused of complicity in the case.
The Congress spokesperson pointed out that police inaction in the sensational murder case was evident from day one and that senior police officers were aware of it.
The Congress alleged that after Mamita went missing, the police did not act promptly on the complaint by her family. Both Nuagaon and Sindhekela police stations told the family that the case did not fall under their jurisdictions, the Congress said.
The party questioned the police inaction, saying that if the victim was a woman an FIR can be lodged at any police station and then the case transferred to the jurisdiction concerned. But this was violated in the Mamita case, the party alleged.
After the FIR was finally lodged, the police had detained main accused Govind Sahu but he escaped from the police barrack where he was kept. The Congress alleged that the police were complicit in helping Sahu escape.
The Congress demanded that the minister step down on his own or Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should dismiss him immediately.
