BHUBANESWAR: Facing heat over botched investigation in the minor rape and murder case, Nayagarh SP Pratyush Diwakar was shunted out of the district on Wednesday. He has been transferred and posted as Additional Inspector General (AIG) at Odisha Police Headquarters in Cuttack. Diwakar has been under fire over the conduct of police investigation into the case, which has caused a huge outrage in the State. The police had not only failed to trace the murderer of the five-year-old girl but also ignored the rape angle to the crime despite having crucial clues.
It was only after the State government formed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case that shocking details of the rape and murder of the girl came to the fore. The SIT also arrested the killer within days of taking over the case. The State government also appointed former Puri SP Akhilesvar Singh, who faced severe criticism over the alleged custodial death, as SOG Commandant. He was shifted to the Headquarters last month.
Effecting a minor reshuffle at IPS level, the government transferred IG of Northern Central Range Narasingha Bhol to IG Northern Range. Bhadrak SP Rajesh Uttamrao has been posted as DIG in-charge of South Western Range by replacing Shefeen Ahamed K who has been posted as DIG (Technical). CID, CB, SP Sarthak Sarangi has been appointed as in-charge DIG of Northern Central Range. Apart from 21 IPS officers, an OPS rank officer and additional SP of Investigative Unit for Crime against Women in Bhadrak, Bikash Das, was posted as SP in-charge of Jharsuguda.
