Cuttack: The Orissa High Court on Thursday expressed displeasure over the slow progress of investigation into the murder of minor girl Pari in Nayagarh district.

The court, while going through the preliminary investigation report submitted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch on Wednesday, said the investigating agency has not made substantial headway for the arrest of the prime accused in the case.

The court directed the SIT to submit the updated status report for the next hearing on December 24.

The SIT in its report stated that semen was found on the five-year-old girl’s frock, pointing at possible sexual assault prior to her killing.

The state government ordered SIT to take over the investigation of the case in early December following a public outcry. The opposition parties accused Agriculture minister and Nayagarh MLA Arun Sahoo of shielding prime suspect Babuli Nayak, putting the ruling BJD in a tight spot.

Also Read: SIT Submits Report To HC: Sexual Assault Whiff Behind Pari’s Murder