Balangir: The role of police has come under the scanner after Gobinda Sahu, president managing committees of an English Medium school and a private college at Mahaling in Odisha’s Kalahandi district, managed to slip out of police barrack in Titlagarh town in Balangir district, where he was being detained, last night.
Three cops were suspended on Monday for dereliction of duty.
Why was Sahu detained?
A woman teacher of Sunshine English Medium School had alleged that Sahu forced some female staff to enter into an illicit relationship with him. When Principal Mamita Meher came to know about it, she threatened to expose him and along with her colleague opened a fake ID on social media.
However, she was allegedly abducted in a car from Chandatora Chhak in Balangir on October 8 morning while on her way to the school from her native village Jharani under Tureikela police limits. Police have the CCTV footage in which Sahu can be seen travelling in a vehicle with Mamita.
When she did not return to her village in the evening, her family members inquired about her from the school.
Sensing foul play, her brother Bunty Meher lodged a complaint at Sindhekala police station with the CCTV footage of the area where her sister was seen being picked up by Sahu on October 8. On the basis of the complaint, police later detained him for interrogation.
An audio clip of a conversation between one of Mamita’s colleagues and her brother has also gone viral. In the clip, Mamita’s colleague can be heard informing her brother about Sahu’s sexually harassing the female employees of the school.
Her colleague was also told Bunty that Sahu had called Mamita on the pretext of an official meeting, a day before she went missing.
Eight special teams of Balangir, Nuapada and Kalahandi police were formed to trace Mamita. She is yet to be found even 11 days after her abduction.
Why police did not arrest Sahu?
While police seized Sahu’s mobile phone and registered a case under Section 366 of the IPC (kidnapping or abducting a woman to compel her marriage or to cause her defilement etc), the question remains as to why he was not arrested yet.
Amid the suspense, a video of senior BJD leader and Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra lavishly praising Sahu at a recent function held at Sunshine English Medium indicated his proximity to the powers-that-be. Amid these, it is also being suspected that the police may have stage-managed his escape from the police barrack.
BJP leader Pradipta Naik had demanded Mishra’s resignation. “The minister should resign on moral grounds as he is suspected to have links with accused Govind Sahu who has fled custody. We cannot expect a fair probe from the police,” he added.
Polygraph test of Sahu was scheduled for today
Bunty Meher told the media on Monday Sadar SDPO had apprised him of the status of the investigation on Sunday. The SDPO told him that Sahu would be sent to Bhubaneswar in the night for a polygraph test at State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL). “This morning, we came to know that he has escaped from police custody,” Bunty added.
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