BHUBANESWAR: Punjilal Meher’s is a story that can make the perfect psychological thriller case-study. On the surface, he appears to be a man who went on a murderous path over a grudge and humiliation. Beneath the tough exterior is tale of a difficult childhood and the urge to seek attention of the society.
Investigators of the Crime Branch, who interrogated him, were surprised to find out that the main accused in the sensational Patnagarh parcel bomb incident actually thought he is destined for bigger things in life.
When he was three, his father left him and his mother and settled with his second wife. It took Punjilal years to rise above that phase and do well in life. “He got a job and settled down and brought his mother back home,” said reliable sources in the Crime Branch.The hardships made him a strong man. He did well in life, got married and had children but always nurtured the ambition of doing something big.
“Do you think I am mad?” he asked a police officer. “I should have been someone who had a helicopter at his beck and call, not just a car,” he told the interrogating officer. The English lecturer owns a Datsun car.
He was frustrated that he did not live up to his expectations and wanted to create a splash which would draw attention of everyone.
When he was demoted from the post of Principal of Jyoti Vikash Junior College at Bhainsa, he was subject of ridicule and taunts from the staff and locals. He was given a nickname of “Chanhile Duldula” (someone who could create a tremor when he wished so). Punjilal told an officer that he wanted to do something so big that people would not forget him easily. The difficult childhood, humiliation he faced when his career was at its peak and the monstrous urge to be noticed sent him on a path of no return.
In his plot against Sanjukta Sahoo, the mother of techie Soumya Sekhar, who had replaced him as principal of the college, Punjilal turned into a scheming killer that claimed two lives on February 23 and left Soumya Sekhar’s wife traumatised for life. “He appears to have the anti-social personality disorder that turns normal people into sociopaths,” said an officer.
Kudos to cops
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday congratulated the Crime Branch for cracking the parcel bomb case and said it was a moment of professional pride for Odisha Police. “Congratulations to the CID-CB team for the efficiency with which investigation was conducted & the parcel bomb case brought to closure. It is indeed a moment of professional pride for @odisha_police. The loss of the family cannot be recovered but justice has been ensured,” he said on Twitter.