Main accused confesses to killing woman found buried on Odisha school campus

Odisha Police said Gobind Sahu, the main suspect in the case, has confessed to murdering the teacher on October 8 in his car before burning the body and burying it in the pit

Published on: Oct 20, 2021, 16:23:20 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A day after the partially burnt body of a 26-year-old woman teacher was exhumed from a pit in an under-construction stadium on a school campus in Odisha, the main suspect in the case on Wednesday confessed to killing her, police said.

Sahu, who started out as a civil contractor before setting up schools, told his interrogators that he took the teacher for shopping on October 8 before allegedly killing her. (Shutterstock)

The woman went missing on October 8 after leaving her home in the Bolangir district. Her family lodged a police complaint accusing Gobind Sahu, the president of the school managing committee, of having a role in her disappearance. Sahu was detained but he managed to escape on Sunday. He was arrested on Tuesday.

Police said Sahu has confessed to murdering the teacher on October 8 in his car before burning the body and burying it in the pit. “We would produce Sahu before a court today (Wednesday),” said Bolangir police superintendent Nitin Kushalkar. Four others who allegedly helped Sahu have been detained.

Police did not comment on the reason behind the murder.

Investigators said Sahu, who started out as a civil contractor before setting up schools, told his interrogators that he took the teacher for shopping on October 8 before allegedly killing her. “The murder seems premeditated as Sahu had the pit dug up...on October 6... for installing a cellphone tower. After killing her, Sahu likely poured petrol on the body for charring the body quickly... before burying the body in the pit. The impact of the heat was so much that the (woman’s) skull has disintegrated. Some salt was also put on the body for quick decomposition,” said a police officer, requesting anonymity.

Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called a 12-hour bandh in Bhawanipatna town demanding the sacking of minister Dibya Shankar Mishra. It alleged Sahu ran the school and a sex racket under Mishra’s patronage.

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The teacher’s family has also alleged she threatened to expose the racket.

BJP leader Pradipta Naik has written to chief minister Naveen Patnaik demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe as Mishra is in charge of the home department. “As the minister is at the centre of controversy over giving protection to Sahu, it will hamper the investigation if he continues his office,” he wrote.

Mishra was immediately unavailable for comments

Aparajita Sarangi, the BJP Member of Parliament from Bhubaneswar, said the teacher would not get justice if the probe remained with the Odisha Police. “CBI should be handed over charge for fair and impartial probe. For last 20 yrs, CM (chief minister) has been saying law will follow its course. The question is will law be permitted to follow its course,” she tweeted.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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