ROURKELA: Though the mysterious deaths of assistant collector (AC) Sushmita Minz (35) and assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Alice Narmi Lugun (37) have escalated into a significant political issue, the police investigations into both cases have made little headway.
After the body of the tribal lady AC was found in the Sensory Park pond on September 19, the Plant Site police reportedly struggled to make progress in their investigation for 10 days. Consequently, the case was transferred to a team led by Investigative Unit on Crime Against Women (IUCAW) deputy SP Banita Majhi, with the oversight of an additional SP-ranked officer.
Fresh inquiries into the AC’s case commenced on September 30, and on Wednesday, IUCAW DSP at the District Police Office (DPO) recorded statements from Gurundia BDO Bernadeth Lakra and Gurundia CDPO P Ekka. Both of these tribal women officers were mentioned, along with the Sundargarh collector and Rourkela ADM, in a police complaint filed by the AC’s brother, Sandip Minz.
According to reports, the BDO mentioned that, on the collector’s instruction, she and the CDPO had visited the AC’s residence on September 17 to meet her. Failing to locate her, they informed her family, stating that she was experiencing mental instability and had engaged in a heated argument with someone at the office of the Rourkela ADM. However, additional details from the statement remain inaccessible.
Sources said the AC’s case remains sensitive and complicated, with her brother alleging murder and severe mental pressure in her workplace.
Meanwhile, Rourkela SP Mitrabhanu Mohapatra has denied any link between the two cases, emphasising that they occurred in separate police station areas. He also refuted claims that the ASI was assigned to protect the AC, asserting that she had no connection to the investigation in any capacity. “The AC never requested security, either verbally or in writing,” he added.