Bhubaneswar: Days after the BJP stormed to power in Odisha, the demand for a CBI probe into the high-profile murder of a woman school teacher in 2021 has resurfaced, with saffron party MLA Laxman Bag meeting the parents of the victim to discuss the issue.
Kantabanji MLA Bag visited Mamita Meher’s parents at their residence in Jharni village Sunday. During the meeting, Mamita’s father Surendra urged Bag to ensure that the case is handed over to the CBI, sources said.
Surendra expressed frustration over the stalled progress of the murder probe after the death of the main accused, Gobinda Sahu, in jail. Despite repeated appeals for a CBI probe, Surendra lamented that their requests had been ignored. “We request permission to meet Chief Minister Mohan Majhi to present our case,” Surendra said.
Tulashi, Mamita’s mother, requested Bag’s assistance in securing a job for their son, according to sources.
Talking to reporters, Bag emphasised, “As the newly elected MLA of Kantabanji, my top priority is to ensure justice for Mamita. We have long demanded a CBI probe into this murder, but the previous BJD government did not pay heed to our demands. Now, with the BJP in power, we will again push for a CBI inquiry.”
Mamita Meher, a teacher at a private school in Kalahandi district, was murdered in October 2021. Her remains were recovered from a pit on the school premises, leading to the arrest of prime suspect Gobinda Sahu. Sahu reportedly died by suicide under mysterious circumstances while in Kantabanji sub-jail custody.
During the BJP’s tenure as the principal opposition, they organised numerous protests both inside and outside the state assembly, alleging the involvement of then MoS Home and BJD leader D S Mishra in the murder case. Even CM Majhi, who served as BJP chief whip at the time, raised the issue multiple times in the assembly.
PTI
