CBI role questioned following closure of Itishree murder case

Bhubaneswar: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is in the eye of storm as political parties irrespective of ideology slammed the investigating agency today for closure of Itishree Pradhan murder case.

While BJP's Bijay Mohapatra said it is unfortunate the CBI submitted a closure notice in the Supreme Court before reaching a conclusion, BJD said the saffron party used the central investigating agency to save former Koraput MP Jayaram Pangi, who has joined BJP recently.
"In the history of CBI, definitely the closure of Tikiri lady teacher murder case would be a blot. This is very unfortunate," said Mohapatra.

Expressing similar views BJP spokesperson Samir Mohanty, said, "There is no alternative agency to CBI which can probe the case. However, we demand reopening of the case."

BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb stated, "Jayaram Pangi, against whom fingers were pointed, is in BJP now. Therefore, buzz is that the CBI was used by its political masters to save Pangi."
On the other hand, Congress said the CBI has shown its inefficiency by pulling the plug and demanded reopening of the case.

"Who killed Itishree has become a mystery after CBI's closure report. We demand reopening of the case," senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik said.

On November 24, the Supreme Court closed the Itishree murder case after the CBI remained clueless about the unidentified accused.

Itishree Pradhan, who was working as a contract teacher at the Tikiri UP School in Kashipur of Rayagada district, was allegedly set on fire in 2013.

Prior to that, she had brought harassment charges against her school’s headmaster Netrananda Dandasena.

After hue and cry over the lady teacher’s death, the State government had ordered a crime branch probe.

Later a law student, Sudipta Lenka of Bengaluru, filed a PIL in the Supreme Court on January 20, 2015 following which a CBI probe was ordered into the murder of Itishree.

In April 2016, the Rayagada district and sessions judge court had sentenced former school headmaster Netrananda to a life term in connection with harassment of Itishree.

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