BALANGIR/BHAWANIPATNA: Balangir police was left-red faced after president of Sunshine English Medium School Gobinda Sahu, the key accused in disappearance of a lady teacher Mamita Meher, escaped from Titilagarh barracks on Sunday night. Gobinda was in police custody for last five days. With the incident turning out to be a huge embarrassment for police, Balangir SP Kusalkar Nitin Dagudu suspended three constables.
Sources said at around 9 pm, Gobinda went to the bathroom on pretext of washing his hands and escaped from the police barrack where he was kept for interrogation over the disappearance of Mamita. Balangir police was about to take Gobinda to Bhubaneswar for polygraph test on Monday.He was detained by Balangir police on the basis of the FIR lodged by Mamita’s brother Bunty Meher on October 12. Mamita (24), a teacher in Sunshine English Medium School at Mahaling in Kalahandi district, went missing on October 8. A resident of Jharni village in Balangir’s Turekela block, Mamita was allegedly called by Gobinda to come to the school for some official work. She was asked to come to Chandotara from where she would be given a lift in the school president’s car. Mamita reportedly reached Chandotara by bus but went missing thereafter and her mobile phone was switched off.
Unable to trace Mamita, family members lodged missing complaints with Kegaon police in Kalahandi and Turekela police. Another FIR was lodged in Sindhekela police station. Basing on the FIRs, Balangir police launched investigation and detained Sahu besides seizing his car.Family members of the teacher alleged Gobinda had forced many women employees of the school into illicit relationship with him. He was directly involved in the disappearance of Mamita as she threatened to expose him, alleged Bunty.
While police are yet to know the whereabouts of Mamita even after 11 days of her missing, Balangir SP Kushakar said four teams have been formed to trace the teacher.
Sunshine is a popular school in the district with a student strength of over 2,000. Apart from being a teacher, Mamita also served as warden of the girls’ hostel of the school.Meanwhile, Mamita’s disappearance has snowballed into a political slugfest with opposition parties targeting Minister of State, Home Dibya Shankar Mishra for his alleged role in the incident. Mishra had once endorsed Gobinda and heaped praises on him for being an educationist and philanthropist.