BHUBANESWAR: After launching a Statewide agitation against Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra, the BJP on Thursday sought the intervention of the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) for his ouster from the Council of Ministers and handing over the Kalahandi lady teacher murder case to CBI.
A delegation of BJP's women leaders led by State general secretary Lekhashree Samantsinghar submitted a memorandum to chairman of OHRC requesting him to seek the removal of Mishra from the Ministry immediately in the interest of justice and issue a direction to hand over the case to the CBI for an impartial probe.
The BJP alleged that Gobinda Sahu, owner of the Sunshine English Medium School, Mahaling in Kalahandi district was being actively patronised by the Minister and the school was in receipt of huge government grants.
"The parents of the murdered girl allege that Gobinda was running a sex racket in the school and the Minister and other BJD leaders were involved in it. Since Mamita came to know about it, she was eliminated," the memorandum said.
It added that since Gobinda, the prime accused, is a close confidant of the Minister who happens to helm the Home department, a fair investigation is not expected from the police. The Minister has been trying to suppress the case and protect Sahu since the beginning.
Being the head of the police force, he used his influence to hide the culprit and later allowed him to escape, the BJP leaders alleged.
"There is a wider conspiracy in the murder of Mamita as she was in possession of facts of involvement of the Minister and other BJD leaders in the racket being run by Gobinda. Her murder is directly linked to the Minister," Samantsinghar said.
Meanwhile, BJP national Mahila Morcha president Vanathi Srinvasan urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to sack Mishra for a fair probe into the case. "Odisha Chief Minister @Naveen_Odisha must sack @DSMishraKLD to conduct a fair investigation in lady teacher death case," she tweeted.
Countering the allegations, BJD spokesperson Ipsita Sahu alleged the BJP is trying to spoil the reputation of educational institutions in the State by issuing false and baseless statements. "It is a matter of shame that the BJP is politicising the issue at the cost of hundreds of students studying in the educational institution. Since there are other members in the management committee of the school, how can one person influence its decisions," she asked.
Dismissing BJP's allegation of involvement of Mishra as unfounded, Sahu challenged the party to provide evidence to substantiate the charges in a court of law. Meanwhile, the State unit of the National Students Union of India and Mahila Congress activists staged a demonstration at Vani Vihar and blocked the National Highway-16 demanding resignation and arrest of the Minister of State for Home over the issue.