CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed the CID-Crime Branch to take over the investigation into the death of 31-year-old Odisha Motor Vehicle Department (OMVD) constable Ashutosh Mrudungi, whose sister alleged that his wife and brother-in-law were involved in the incident.
Justice RK Pattanaik, while hearing a petition filed by Mrudungi’s sister, Nibedita Devi, expressed dissatisfaction with the investigation conducted so far and directed the Berhampur Town police to immediately hand over all records to the CID-Crime Branch for further investigation in accordance with law. The order, passed on September 1, was uploaded online on Monday.
Mrudungi, posted as an OMVD constable in Berhampur, suffered around 80 per cent burn injuries in an incident near his wife’s government quarters in the police colony near Bijipur chowk on the night of June 5. He died while undergoing treatment at AIIMS
Bhubaneswar on June 12, around a week after he was admitted.
Police had initially suspected the incident to be a case of self-immolation. However, his sister subsequently lodged a complaint alleging the involvement of his wife, a woman constable posted at the Berhampur police reserve office, and his brother-in-law.
During the hearing, advocate SK Nayak, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that despite sufficient material indicating the alleged involvement of the two accused, no arrest had been made. He also expressed apprehension about the fairness of the investigation, pointing out that one of the alleged accused was herself a police constable.
The petitioner relied on dying declarations made by Mrudungi, in which he allegedly named his wife and brother-in-law. One of the declarations was recorded in the immediate presence of an executive magistrate.
After examining the case diary and witness statements recorded under Section 180 of the BNSS, the court noted that the police had collected evidence and that the investigation was claimed to be substantially over. However, Justice Pattanaik observed that, in view of the dying declarations, “It cannot be said that there is no evidence at all against the deceased’s wife and brother in law.”
“Their involvement cannot be ruled out particularly as against the dying declarations of the deceased,” he observed and held that the investigation was not satisfactory. The court directed the police to transfer the case records to CID-CB without further delay.
