Bolangir: Even though three years have passed since the brutal gangrape and murder of Snehalata Chatria, a 15-year-old, SC girl of Sargipali village under Khaprakhol block in Bolangir district, but the police have failed to crack the case.
As three years have passed, social activists and family members Tuesday staged a demonstration in Bhubaneswar, demanding a CBI probe and immediate arrest of the accused. Similarly, another team Tuesday approached the District Collector (DM) Subhasmita Mishra and submitted a written memorandum, demanding the intervention of the Prime Minister and probe by the CBI.
As the gruesome incident completed three years, it clearly indicated the incompetency of police to arrest the miscreants who are roaming free. This spread resentment among the family members who are waiting for justice till now.
According to the case diary, the incident occurred May 22, 2015. The victim had gone to take bath in a canal near the village, but did not return home. Family members searched for her, but there was no trace of her whereabouts.
Later, her nude body was recovered from near the canal next morning. The girl’s private parts bore critical injuries due to the gangrape while the miscreants had bludgeoned her face.
Acting on a complaint by the victim’s family, police registered a case of gangrape and murder, but have failed to arrest the accused till now. Back then, the incident had spread severe outrage throughout the county as many demonstrations and rallies were taken demanding arrest of the accused.
28 days after the incident, police under pressure arrested two persons Jangyan Sharaf (22) and Supal Meher (24) of the same village. However, due to lack of evidence, the two were soon released on bail.
The state government then directed the CB to probe the matter. However, the CB also failed to crack the case. After a year, the state government directed the CBI to probe the matter but the latter refused to take over the case. Since then, the case has been lying unsolved.
