Kunduli Row: Dharmendra lambasts CM for ordering SIT probe, questions impartiality

Bhubaneswar: A day after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ordered SIT probe into the gang rape and subsequent suicide of Kunduli victim, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today alleged that this is yet another attempt of the CM to cover up his own inefficiency.

Briefing mediapersons, Pradhan questioned the significance of a SIT probe at a time when the Kunduli victim had brought allegations against the chief of Odisha police.

“The Kunduli victim had alleged that the Odisha police head had bribed her for not disclosing the issue. Now her family members have alleged that the police have destroyed the suicide note. So what’s the point of an SIT probe now? The inquiry will never be impartial,” alleged Pradhan.

He further alleged that the state government is only making the investigation directionless in the name of Crime Branch probe and judicial probe.

Alleging that the SIT probe will not ensure justice to the victim, Pradhan demanded resignation of the Chief Minister on moral grounds. He also demanded the CM to hand over of the investigation to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

“We had demanded a CBI or a court-monitored SIT probe into the Kunduli episode. If the CM really wants to ensure justice he should resign from his post on moral grounds,” the Union Minister stated.