Three days after his wife slapped charges of dowry torture, former Law Minister Raghunath Mohanty’s son Raja Shree was arrested by a team of Human Rights Protection Cell (HRPC) of Odisha police near Cuttack on Sunday.
Raja Shree would be taken to Balasore, where the dowry case has been filed, and produced before a local court on Monday. Earlier, the HRPC team raided several places and apprehended Raja Shree near Choudwar.
The HRPC, however, remained tightlipped about the fate of other accused __ Raghunath and his wife. They all have been charged with dowry torture and the Opposition political parties have been clamouring for Mohanty Sr’s arrest.
Raghunath Mohanty had resigned on March 15 after his daughter-in-law Barsha Swony Choudhury lodged the complaint.
The HRPC officials said there was prima facie evidence against Raja Shree. Investigation was underway and necessary steps would be taken going by evidence available against the rest named in the FIR, they added.
Raja Shree and Barsha Swony had married last year and the latter has accused her husband and in-laws of subjecting her to physical and mental torture over a dowry demand of `25 lakh, a Scorpio vehicle among other things. Balasore Town Police has registered the case under sections 498(A), 506, 448 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4 of Dowry Prevention Act.
The former minister, who has refuted the allegation terming them false and baseless, has remained incommunicado for the last couple of days. In an embarrassment to the Government, the Assembly proceedings were paralysed on Saturday with the vociferous Opposition demanding that the former minister be arrested forthwith. In fact, the parties alleged a cover-up after the State Government directed the HRPC to probe the case.