BHUBANESWAR: Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra on Tuesday dismissed Opposition allegations that the State Government is trying to suppress the alleged case of rape and suicide of a dalit girl in Jagatsinghpur and said the incident is being investigated by subdivisional police officer (SDPO) under the supervision of the district additional superintendent of police.
Making a statement in response to the direction from Speaker Surya Narayan Patro, the Minister said the allegation that the victim girl’s family had earlier filed an FIR in this regard is not true. The SDPO, Jagatsinghpur and inspector in-charge of the Nuagaon police station immediately reached the spot after the incident was reported on November 7, 2019. The body was cremated at Dasamania burial ground of Tentoi village in the district contrary to reports, he added.
The issue had sparked off noisy scenes during the zero hour on Monday with the Opposition Congress and BJP members demanding a statement on the incident from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who holds the home portfolio.The Minister said Sakuli Das, wife of Hatakishore Das of Tentoi village, alleged on November 7 that she found her daughter’s room locked from inside. After breaking open the door, she found her 24-year-old daughter Laxmipriya Das had committed suicide by hanging herself in the room.
In the report, the mother of the deceased ascribed the reason of the suicide to one-sided affair and harassment by their neighbour Deepal Behura (32) who managed to click some objectionable photographs of her daughter and stuck those on the walls of the girl’s room. She maintained that Laxmipriya committed suicide out of shame.
The Minister said since prima facie evidence was established against Behura, he was arrested on November 9 and forwarded to judicial custody. The accused continued to be in judicial custody, he said and added that the objectionable photographs of the deceased and other evidences have also been collected.