BJP chief JP Nadda sets up panel to report on Odisha row on teacher’s murder

The school teacher was allegedly murdered by the school managing committee president Gobind Sahu who, the BJP says, is close to Odisha junior minister for home DS Mishra. The opposition has asked Naveen Patnaik to sack him

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will send a three-member team to Odisha to prepare a report on the alleged murder of a 26-year-old school teacher in the state’s Kalahandi district.

BJP Ppresident JP Nadda has set up a 3-member panel to report on the Kalahandi private school teacher’s murder. (PTI)

Sambit Patra, the party’s national spokesperson, on Tuesday said the BJP president J P Nadda took the decision to send the team to the state.

The BJP has demanded Odisha minister of state for home Dibya Shankar Mishra’s removal over his alleged proximity to the man arrested for the alleged murder. It has organised two bandhs in Kalahandi and Balangir districts last week to protest against the state’s response to the killing.

“The police personnel had refused to register an FIR (first information report)…Somewhere the police knew that there was a question of the credibility of the minister in this, so the police were hesitant to register the FIR. When there was pressure from the opposition parties, the police had to register the FIR,” Patra said. He alleged illegal activities were going on in the hostel of the school, where the teacher taught, and innocent girls and teachers were being victimised.