Bhubaneswar: The Congress Friday demanded an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the mysterious death of a VLW and in-charge of Panchayat Extension Officer Smitarani Biswal, who was found hanging in a guest house at Baligari under Dharmasala block of Jajpur district October 16, 2019.
Police have so far detained five people including the husband of the Haridaspur Sarpanch Rupesh Bhadra in connection with the incident and are inquiring into it.
Smitarani had gone to the guest house with Rupesh after distributing allowances to the people in Bhadanga village. After reaching the guest house, Smitarani went to the first floor to get her refreshed. Later, she was found hanging.
Congress leader Satya Prakash Nayak alleged that Rupesh Bhadra is a rich contractor and an influential person. Any inquiry by the local police on him would not be impartial, he said, and demanded CBI inquiry into the incident.
Meanwhile, state Congress president Niranjan Patnaik constituted an 11-member fact finding team led by party’s Barabati-Cuttack MLA Md Moquim to visit the area, inquire into the incident and submit a report.
A high-level team of the BJP also visited Jajpur Friday for an on the spot inquiry into the incident.
The team members included, among others, former DGP Prakash Mishra, Deputy Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Bishnu Sethi, former minister Surama Padhi, state party secretary Lekhashree Samantasinghar and state Mahila Morcha president Pravati Parida.
Nayak alleged that the police were diluting the inquiry as some senior ruling BJD members and mafia were behind it.
He further said the police were trying to destroy the evidence to give a clean chit to the accused.
The Congress leader questioned as to why the police have not yet arrested the accused Rupesh Bhadra and five others detained in connection with the incident.
The Chief Minister promoting ‘Mo Sarkar’ programme in the state is maintaining a stoic silence over the mysterious death of a panchayat officer. The Panchayati Raj minister and the secretaries of Panchayati Raj department are also silent over the issue.
The local MLA, MP and the Mahila Commission have neither visited the area nor have inquired about it, he rued.
Smitarani’s husband Sushil demanded a high level inquiry into the death while ruling out the possibility of suicide by her wife.
He alleged that his wife was under pressure and harassed for opposing corruption by the vested interest groups.