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

Bhubaneswar: Was Pari sexually assaulted before being murdered? The Orissa High Court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the much-discussed case has found semen on the minor girl’s frock, pointing the needle of suspicion towards possible sexual assault prior to her killing, sources told Odisha Bytes on Wednesday.

“The SIT has found semen stains on the frock of the girl. The frock also seems to have been placed on the body after the crime,” a source disclosed, soon after the probe team handed over a preliminary report of its findings in a sealed cover to the High Court.

The SIT, headed by senior IPS officer Arun Bothra, took over investigation into the murder of Pari (5) of Jadupur village in Odisha’s Nayagarh district in early December following a public outcry and Opposition hue and cry. The Opposition has accused agriculture minister and Nayagarh MLA Arun Sahoo of shielding prime suspect Babuli Nayak, putting the ruling BJD in a tight spot.

The investigating team suspects that a villager committed the heinous crime in July and questioned Nayak and his driver Bijay Behera. However, it is yet to ascertain the perpetrator. “Scientific examination of the semen stains could provide us a breakthrough,” said a probe team member, requesting anonymity. When contacted, Bothra refused to comment.

What has further strengthened suspicion of sexual assault is that the body was found nude without any lower garment. “No pant was recovered,” confided a source, indicating the possibility of it being a case of rape leading to murder by a person known to the victim. “The evidence points towards that, but we will continue to investigate the matter thoroughly before arriving at any conclusion,” the source added.