Nayagarh murder: Seeking justice for daughter, couple attempts self-immolation outside Odisha Assembly

They accused police of shielding the murderer of their daughter as he happens to be a BJD worker and aide of a minister in the government.
Odisha Assembly (File | EPS)
Odisha Assembly (File | EPS)

BHUBANESWAR: The high-security zone outside the Odisha Assembly witnessed high drama on Tuesday when a couple from Nayagarh district attempted self-immolation demanding justice for their five-year-old daughter, who was allegedly murdered in July this year.

They accused police of shielding the murderer of their daughter as he happens to be a BJD worker and aide of a minister in the government.

A TV grab of policemen escorting the couple away from the spot
A TV grab of policemen escorting the couple away from the spot

Covered in shawls, Ashok Sahoo and his wife Saudamini of Jadupur village arrived at the spot in an auto-rickshaw and attempted to set themselves ablaze by pouring kerosene. Police personnel deployed outside the Assembly immediately rushed to their rescue and prevented them from lighting the fire. They took them to Capital police station for questioning.

The child had gone missing while playing in front of their house on July 14. A few days later, her skeletal remains were found in a bag behind the house. Her parents had filed a case with the Nayagarh Sadar police. They alleged that their daughter was kidnapped and killed by one Babuli Nayak, a close aide of a minister. “We requested the police and district administration to arrest the accused but to no avail”, Ashok said, adding that although a murder case has been registered, the main accused is still at large. 

Seeking justice for his daughter, Sahoo had filed a petition in the Orissa High Court accusing police of tardy investigation. He had sought the Court’s direction for a judicial inquiry or probe by a Special Investigation Team into the mysterious death of his daughter. The High Court had directed Nayagarh police to submit a report regarding the status of the investigation.

Nayagarh SP Pratyush Diwakar said some suspects in the case have been identified and investigation is on. “We can only arrive at a concrete conclusion after the investigation is over”, he added. Police said the postmortem report of the victim does not indicate any sexual assault before she was murdered. Diwakar refused to comment whether the murder was a result of personal enmity. Meanwhile, the couple was allowed to leave after a station diary entry was made in the Capital police station. 

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