The Minister also stated that the investigation has been completed and it was done on the basis of adequate proofs. The investigation did not find involvement of any third person.
The Chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW) Rekha Sharma on Thursday sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the sensational Kalahandi lady teacher Mamita Meher murder case in Odisha.
Northern Range DIG Deepak Kumar has been accused of trying to give a clean chit to the Bolangir police in the middle of the probe which surprised many.
Coming down heavily on Naveen Patnaik, BJP Bhubaneswar organisational district president, Babu Singh, said they have been staging protests and bandhs for the last couple of days, demanding the removal of Minister Dibyashankar Mishra and justice to the victim's family. “But Naveen Patnaik has been maintaining a stoic silence. This is why we have launched a 'halla bol' agitation against the 21 year- old government,” he said.
The battle cry for justice to the murdered Kalahandi Mahaling Sunshine School teacher Mamita Meher saw a major development on Tuesday as her parents moved the Orissa High Court seeking completion of the probe into her sensational murder case in a stipulated time.
Meanwhile, Mishra, during a briefing to media persons at Bhubaneswar, said he would like to raise his concerns over two aspects of the investigation into the murder case wherein the interference by the Northern range DIG was unwarranted.
The DIG said while statements of 10 witnesses have so far been recorded under Section 164 of CrPC, police have recorded statements of over 100 witnesses under Section 161 of CrPC.
We had sought tour details of the Minister. He was with Gobinda and the deceased girl on September 18, 19 and 20 in Raipur. However, we are unable to get his tour details during the same period, said Congress leader Bhakta Das
As directed by the HC, the members of Congress held peaceful demonstrations at several parts of the State. However, normal life remained unaffected in the six-hour bandh as most of the shops and business establishments remained open in the State, including in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
Odisha Congress has called a six-hour bandh (from 6 am to 12 pm) in the State on November 12 protesting the rising crime against women and seeking justice for the slain lady teacher. However, all emergency services including ambulance, milk vehicles etc, have been exempted during the shutdown.
Behera was on a day-long visit to the village for the distribution of Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) smart cards to the beneficiaries, said reports.
Dibya Shankar Mishra, who holds the important portfolio in the Naveen Patnaik cabinet, finds himself under the close the scrutiny of Opposition parties for his alleged ties with the prime accused in the murder, Gobinda Sahu.
Similarly in Jharsuguda, business establishments, government and private offices, banks and educational institutions remained closed while vehicular movement came to a grinding halt as the saffron party observed 8-hour, from 6 am to 2 pm, bandh across the district.
Das also appealed to observe two minutes of silence at 11 am on November 7 at their homes and pray for the salvation of the soul of Mamita Meher and pray for justice for the family members of the deceased.
The DNA samples of Mamita’s parents-- Suchandra Meher and Tulasi Meher have also been sent to the laboratory for profiling which will be used to match with the samples taken from the body remains to establish Mamita’s identity.
Protesting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s upcoming visit to Kalahandi, senior Congress leader Bhakta Das has called for ‘Janta Curfew’ in the district on November 8 to seek justice for murdered lady teacher Mamita Meher.
On the other hand, Congress has threatened to observe Odisha Bandh on November 12. The Congress has warned of dire consequences if Chief Minister Patnaik dithers on dropping Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra from the cabinet by November 10
Raising fears that Mamita might be having evidence about the sex racket at Sunshine English Medium School and the involvement of BJD Ministers in it, Saluja said, “Why did the Minister call them to his Raipur flat. Police have recovered Mamita’s pen drive and laptop. Police should provide the details of the data they have retrieved from the victim’s laptop hard disk".
BJP’s Bargarh district unit on Monday observed an eight-hour bandh in the region to mount further pressure on the government to oust MoS (Home) Dibya Shankar Mishra in the wake of his alleged complicity in the case.
On October 8, 24-year-old Mamita left for Mahaling from her village Jharni and was received the president of the managing committee of her school Gobinda Sahu near Sindhikela. Later, her family failed to contact her as she went missing for several days until the missing teacher's brother alleged involvement of Sahu behind the case.