Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India] : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday held a protest rally against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s visit to the Kalahandi district and demanded justice in the murder case of Mamita Meher, a school teacher. The rally started from Rajmahal Square to Naveen Niwas (CM’s residence) Square. Effigies of Patnaik were burnt as a part of the rally. Several protestors were detained by the police during the rally. Dilip Mohanty, the Spokesperson of the Odisha BJP unit demanded an answer from the Chief Minister over the case. “A minister from CM Naveen Patnaik’s government has murdered a woman. The entire media is covering this issue. We are demanding that justice be given. But the CM hasn’t said anything on this case. It has been a month since the murder and now he is coming to Kalahandi. What message is he trying to give? Why so much arrogance? Family members of the victim, people in the district and women in Odisha are worried. He has not arrested the minister either,” he said.
Kasturi Mishra, the BJP Odisha Women Wing President alleged that all the evidence relating to the case was destroyed by minister Dibya Shankar Mishra. “The Chief Minister says that the law will take its course. But how will it take its course when the evidence relating to the case has been destroyed? Today, a month has been completed since the murder and the Chief Minister has not said anything on the matter. After destroying the evidence, Mishra went to Kalahandi to show the people that he is innocent. We are protesting so that the truth is exposed. Till Mamita does not get justice, we will continue with our protests and chakka jams,” she added.
On October 8, a partially burnt body of 24-year old Mamita Meher was found by the Odisha police from a dug-up pit near a sports stadium in Kalahandi. The teacher, who lived in Turikela tehsil in the Balangir district and taught in school in the Mahalinga area of the district, had gone missing. On October 26, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda formed a three-member committee to investigate the case of kidnapping and alleged killing of a woman in the Mahaling segment of Junagarh Assembly under Kalahandi Parliamentary constituency in Odisha. The committee included Lok Sabha MP Sunita Duggal, BJP Women Wing President Vanathi Srinivasan and MLA Rupra Mitra. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mahila Morcha has also demanded the sacking of the Odisha Home Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra over his involvement in the teacher’s alleged murder. It has been alleged that the minister is protecting and shielding the accused.
