CUTTACK: The Congress on Friday, September 10, 2021, accused the district police of delaying reinvestigation into the Mahanga double murder case despite a court order to look into the alleged involvement of Law Minister Pratap Jena.
President of Mahanga Congress unit Debendra Kumar Sahoo said despite passage of 13 days after the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Salepur ordered a fresh probe into the case, Mahanga police has done nothing. On September 7, the police had asked two witnesses Ganeswar Sahu and Manoranjan Mohapatra of Nrutanga through a home guard to record their statements at the police station.
But the duo felt insecure and refused to give their statements at the police station. They requested the police to record their statements in the presence of public at the village, but to no avail, Sahoo alleged.
The Congress leader further alleged that one of the most vital angles of the investigation is being knowingly overlooked by not examining Jena’s personal assistant Bapi Biswal.
Local police is yet to verify the phone call record of Biswal. Similarly, the mysterious death of main accused Prafulla Biswal on February 5 near the business yard of Jena at Tangi has not been investigated properly, he added.
However, SP Cuttack (Rural) Jugal Kishore Kumar Banoth said the police has already started a fresh probe into the case. BJP leader Kulamani Baral (75) and his associate Dibyasingh Baral (80) were murdered at Nrutanga on January 2.