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Breaking his conspicuous silence over the sensational murder of Kalahandi school teacher Mamita Meher and his alleged involvement in the case, Odisha’s Minister of State (Home), Captain Dibyashankar Mishra on Friday claimed that his family has filed defamation suits against the State’s leading media house, Odisha Television Limited (OTV), digital media platform Odisha Reporter (OR) and another private Odia news channel.
Terming the telecast of the news which carried the Minister’s name on the basis of the allegations made by the family members of Mamita Meher and several other politicians ‘malicious’, Mishra issued a statement that read, “This malicious smear campaign by these media and opposition political parties marks a new low in the political discourse of Odisha, especially where certain sections of media is being used for narrow political gains at the cost of truth, empathy and sensitivity in heinous offences.”
As per his press statement, the Minister said he was shocked by the manner in which certain media houses have launched an alleged malicious character assassination campaign based on ‘falsehood’ against him. This has hurt his family too, he said.
Therefore, his family has filed criminal and civil defamation case against media groups, namely OTV, Odisha Reporter and another private news channel for allegedly defaming and character assassination with ‘false, malicious and wild allegations.’
Furthermore, Mishra stated, “I am deeply saddened and anguished by the unfortunate death of Ms. Mamita Meher. I am a father and I can understand the trauma the family must be going through. My deepest condolences to the family of Mamita Meher. The guilty must be given strictest punishment as per law.”
“These media apart from their smear campaign have also been questioning my silence. I have always believed that in sensitive heinous offences, law enforcement agencies should act in a free and fair manner so that the accused meet the ends of justice. Hence I always avoided commenting on heinous offences. But I felt the need to give a statement as this smear campaign has been affecting my family,” he added.
The Minister’s clarification comes in the backdrop of widespread protests across the State over his alleged links with the key accused in the case, Gobinda Sahu, president of Sunshine English Medium School at Mahaling in Kalahandi district where the deceased worked as a teacher. He was arrested by the police nearly a fortnight after Mamita disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Even while he was detained at the Titlagarh police barracks, Sahu staged a dramatic escape raising serious suspicion over the efficiency of the investigating agency. Mamita’s body remains were finally found from a pit at an under-construction stadium in the vicinity of the school. After arresting Sahu, the police had given a detailed account of the gruesome murder and Sahu’s admittance to the crime.
Following allegation levelled by the family of the deceased about the Minister’s involvement in the crime, Opposition Congress and BJP have been staging all out protest across the State demanding the immediate expulsion of the Minister from the State cabinet and his arrest in order to ensure fairness in the probe.
On Thursday, a Congress delegation led by AICC General Secretary Randeep Surjewala visited the victim’s family to pay tributes and demanded stern action against the Minister. He compared the murder with Delhi’s Nirbhaya case of 2012.
On Friday, a three-member Central team of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comprising the party’s Mahila Morcha National President Vanathi Srinivasan, Lok Sabha member from Haryana Sunita Duggal and West Bengal MLA Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury spoke to the parents of the victims and offered their condolences. They also demanded the immediate dismissal of Mishra from the State cabinet.
Meanwhile, seeking to give himself a clean chit in the case, Mishra in his two-page statement, said as an MLA as well as an ex-Air Force Officer, he has attended functions at many educational institutions. “In fact public representatives are supposed to attend functions in educational institutions. Therefore, a crime happening in any one of the institutions that I have visited as a guest for functions cannot be attributed to me,” Mishra said.
He also asked the Opposition political parties and media to take the evidence against him to the Police or the Courts, if they have any. “I will not only resign from my position but will also retire from public life but don't indulge in smear campaigns with personal political agenda,” he said.
Invoking Maa Manikeswari, the presiding deity of Bhawanipatna, in who he said he has deep faith, Mishra said he had nothing to do with the offence.
