BHUBANESWAR: The State government on Saturday formed a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Inspector General of Police Arun Bothra to probe the alleged murder of the five-year old girl of Jadupur village in Nayagarh district. It also proposed that the probe by the SIT into the incident will be monitored by the Orissa High Court.
The other members of the SIT are SP (Crime Branch) RK Dora, ASP (Crime Branch) RC Thamba, and inspectors Narendra Kumar Behera and Mamata Rani Panda. In a letter to the Registrar General of the High Court, Special Secretary to government in Home department Santosh Bala informed about the formation of the SIT and requested to place the matter before the Chief Justice for permission to monitor the investigation by a sitting judge.
Earlier in the day, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha had announced in the Assembly that a gazette notification for the formation of the SIT will be issued very soon. The government had agreed for a probe by a SIT after statewide outrage over the incident. The parents of the child had attempted self immolation outside the Assembly accusing police of shielding the culprit as he was politically well-connected. The Opposition has been up in arms against the government on the issue, demanding a SITprobe and resignation of Agriculture Minister Arun Sahoo.