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Rayagada, Feb 20: Even as the Congress party workers observed a bandh to press for their demand to arrest collector Shasi Bhsuhan Padhi and Integrated Tribal Development Agency project administrator Gorachand Gomango in
connection with the District Welfare Officer (DWO) suicide case, the Crime Branch started its investigation in the matter in Rayagada Friday.
A CB team of deputy superintendent of police Ramesh Chandra Sethy and assistant sub-inspector SK Dalei recorded statements of six employees of district welfare office. The team recorded statement of additional district welfare officer Buddhadev Panda, two senior clerks Pramod Panigrahi and Satyabadi Mohanty, junior clerk Madhusmita Sabar, head clerk Adikand Nimala and a peon Padma Pidika. The CB team, however, did not reveal anything about their findings to reporters.
The DWO Dhaneswar Prusty had committed suicide by hanging at his office Tuesday. In his suicide note, he had alleged that he was being mentally tortured by the collector and project administrator of Integrated Tribal Development Agency.
Congress calls bandh
All schools, colleges, other educational institutions, banks, government offices, shops and commercial outlets in the town remained closed due to the bandh called by the Congress party workers.
Party activists led by district unit president Durga Prasad Panda and former MP Pradip Majhi blocked the traffic at Kapilash Square. The party leaders flayed Padhi for allegedly misbehaving with subordinate staff and claimed he was involved in large scale irregularities.
The protestors blamed the collector for handing over powers of deceased district welfare officer Dhansewar Prusty Gomango.
“The DWO was being forced to sign on the utilisation certificates while the funds were being spend by ITDA,” a Congress leader said.
Accusing the collector of abusing Prusty before other officials Monday morning and evening, the party leaders staged demonstration outside the collector’s and SP offices. They also sought the resignation of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development minister over the issue.
