BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Bhadrak Police revealed that retired Odisha Information Service (OIS) officer Niranjan Sethi had facilitated accreditation to vernacular periodical ‘Sampurna’ run by murder accused Sarmistha Rout, the State government is yet to order an inquiry into the matter.
Niranjan was arrested on Monday for his alleged involvement in Swain’s murder. Sarmistha, editor of a Bhubaneswar based web-channel and vernacular periodical Sampurna, is still absconding.
Sources in the I&PR department said the government may have not ordered an inquiry because Niranjan has retired from service. “The process of a web-channel or newspaper getting empanelled is scrutinised at various levels. Besides this, it is also verified whether the said organisation is empanelled by Directorate of
Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP),” said a senior official of I&PR Department. However, the government can revoke the accreditation provided to a media organisation if it is found to be engaging in dubious activities, he added.
Sources in the department said Sarmistha’s web-channel was empanelled by DAVP. Meanwhile, Chandbali Police on Tuesday interrogated Sarmistha’s brother Parmeswar Rout at Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh to ascertain her whereabouts. Efforts are on to trace and nab her.
Chandbali Police had questioned Sarmistha before recovering the body remains of Swain in Nayagarh district. Manas was allegedly kidnapped by Sarmistha and four others from Bhadrak district on February 7 when he went there for a wedding assignment. He was brought to Dayal Ashram near Sundarpada in the Capital city which is run by Sarmistha and brutally assaulted over the memory chip. He succumbed on February 8.