BALANGIR: The prime accused in the sensational Mamita Meher murder case Gobinda Sahu has allegedly died by suicide inside the Kantabanji sub-jail before appearing before the court of judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) on Tuesday morning.
Sources say that Sahu was found hanging backside of the cell where he was kept along with other under-trial prisoners. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead.
While jail officials are tight-lipped about the incident, police have started inquiring into the alleged suicide.
Northern Range IG Deepak Kumar confirmed that Sahu's cause of death was suicide. He also said that further investigation is on.
Sahu was the main accused in the murder of Mamita, a teacher at Sunshine English Medium School in Mahaling. He was the president of the school. This was one of the shocking cases that occurred in October. It is alleged that Sahu murdered the teacher, torched her body and buried it in the playground near the school.
Sahu was supposed to be produced before JMFC court on the day in connection with the trial of the murder case. Already 10 witnesses have been examined so far and the prosecution was sure to achieve conviction in the case.
Kantabaji police had registered a separate case against Sahu for threatening a witness. He had recently moved the High Court seeking bail, but his plea was rejected.
"Sahu possibly felt that there was no way to escape from stringent punishment. That's why he might have taken the extreme step inside the jail. Further probe is on," said a jail officer.
DIG of Prison Range Sambalpur Anusaya Jena is on her way to Kantabanji to conduct an enquiry and submit a report following which further action will be taken if necessary.
After a police complaint, Sahu was detained but escaped from the Titlagarh police station before he got arrested the next day.
The issue snowballed into a massive political controversy as the Opposition alleged MLA Dibya Shankar Mishra's role in the murder and demanded his resignation from the Cabinet. However, the Odisha Government did not give in to it.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)