Nayagarh: Even as mystery still shrouds the death of Pari, the 5-year-old girl whose skeletal remains were recovered from near her house in July this year, Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) chairperson Sandhyabati Pradhan said on Thursday that she suspects the girl might have been killed for some human sacrifice rituals.
Though speculations are rife that the little girl's organs were allegedly removed, the Commission Chairperson said the girl was killed as her body was found in the village itself.
“As the girl’s body was found in the Jadupur village, whether her kidneys were taken out can only be ascertained only after a detailed probe, OSCPCR chairperson said after visiting the victim’s parents and others in the area.
Pradhan’s statement that Pari was killed for the purpose of human sacrifice has now given a new twist to the entire incident which has already sparked a massive public outrage across Odisha.
It is pertinent to mention here that the five-year-old girl went missing under mysterious circumstances while playing near her house on July 14. Almost 10 days later, her skeletal remains were found from the backyard of her house.
The matter kicked off a political stir in Odisha after the girl’s parents attempted suicide before the State Assembly on November 24. The couple had alleged that Minister Arun Sahoo was shielding the prime suspect in the case, Babuli Nayak.
Meanwhile, the Orissa High Court on Thursday directed the Superintendent of Police (SP), Nayagarh to provide security to family members of five-year-old girl.
The Court also directed the State government to submit the updated status report of the investigation into the case. The court has scheduled the next hearing on the petition on December 16.
The High Court came up with the direction while hearing a PIL filed by the Bharatiya Bikash Parishad, which sought protection for Pari’s family on account of threat to their lives due to the alleged involvement of some politicians and local strongmen in the murder of the girl.
The PIL also sought a CBI probe into the case and Rs 25 lakh compensation to the family of the minor girl.
(Edited By Suryakant Jena)