BHUBANESWAR: Law Minister Pratap Jena and Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra, have landed in a fresh controversy, this time over the murder of Nayagarh-based cameraman Manas Swain.
The slain cameraman’s wife Jamuna Swain on Tuesday alleged involvement of the two ministers and other senior leaders of the ruling party in her husband’s murder as their photographs with the main accused Sharmistha Rout , the editor of a Bhubaneswar-based web channel, have surfaced in social media. Stating that they killed her husband in fear that the truth will come out, Jamuna demanded their arrest.
She alleged that Manas had a memory chip containing some illegal activities of the ministers and the prime accused. Demanding that the contents of the memory chip be made public and all BJD bigwigs allegedly involved in the incident be arrested, she threatened that if no steps are taken in this regard she will commit suicide in front of Naveen Nivas, the residence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The ministers, however, did not respond to the allegations despite several attempts to contact them. Mishra, though, told a TV channel, “You know the truth. BJD is a very disciplined party and all members function within the discipline. The party will abide by the law”.
This is not for the first time that the two ministers are embroiled in such criminal incidents. Mishra was in the eye of the storm over the murder of school teacher Mamita Meher last year. The Opposition BJP and Congress alleged that he was the main conspirator and held protests across the State demanding his dismissal and a CBI probe into the incident.
Similarly, Law Minister Jena is facing the heat in the Mahanga double murder case. There are allegations of his involvement in the killing of BJP leaders Kulamani Baral and Dibyasingha Baral, who were hacked to death at Mahanga on January 2 last year.
Ministers in fresh trouble
The latest allegations have once again got the Opposition on its feet with Congress demanding that the ministers be brought under the purview of probe. Congress spokesperson Manoj Mohapatra told mediapersons that main accused Sarmistha is being given protection because of her close links with senior leaders of BJD. Mohapatra also targeted the police for letting the main accused free initially after interrogating her in this case.
Meanwhile, the Orissa High Court has rejected the anticipatory bail application of Sarmistha. Rejecting the bail plea, the single judge bench of Justice SK Sahoo has, however, directed if the petitioner surrenders in the court within a period of four weeks from March 16 and moves for bail, the same shall be disposed of as expeditiously as possible in accordance with law.