SAMBALPUR: Two years after a graduate of Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT) drowned in the power channel of Hirakud Dam under mysterious circumstances, Burla police on Monday arrested her friend on charges of abetment to suicide.
Acting on the direction of the Orissa High Court, police arrested Pritiman Dey, a friend of the deceased Chinmayee Priyadarshini Sahu. The arrest was made on basis of the allegations levelled by Chinmayee’s family members.
Confirming the development, Burla IIC SK Baliarsingh said the youth was arrested on charges of abetting the suicide of the deceased student. He was also produced in court.
The arrest comes more than two years after Chinmayee’s death which initially appeared to be a case of drowning. Chinmayee, a resident of M Rampur in Kalahandi district, allegedly jumped into the power channel of Hirakud Dam hours after receiving her degree at the university’s convocation programme on February 28, 2023. Her body was recovered the next morning.
On March 11, 2023, then Sambalpur SP B Gangadhar citing the diatom test report had confirmed that the cause of death was drowning.
The diatom present in the water sample of the power channel was also found in the bone marrow of Chinmayee’s body, indicating that she was alive when she fell into the water.
However, family members had alleged foulplay claiming that Chinmayee was murdered by strangulation before being thrown into the power channel. They alleged involvement of Dey and another friend Mana Tudu in Chinmayee’s death.
Though police conducted lie detection tests on both Dey and Tudu on March 4, no substantial evidence emerged from the results. Subsequently, the police said a narco-analysis test would be conducted if necessary.
While the diatom test had ruled out any evidence of prior strangulation, police have now reopened the investigation following the high court’s direction and the persistent claims of Chinmayee’s family.