E-Paper
Odisha missing school teacher case: BJP workers bring Kalahandi to a standstill
The BJP accused Odisha home minister Mishra of facilitating the escape of the prime accused from a police barrack from neighbouring Bolangir’s Titlagarh on Sunday
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Odisha home minister DS Mishra and imposed a 12-hour shutdown in Kalahandi protesting against the disappearance of a lady teacher. The opposition party also protested against the government after an unidentified body buried in the playground of the school where she taught was found.
The BJP accused Mishra of facilitating the escape of the prime accused from a police barrack from neighbouring Bolangir’s Titlagarh on Sunday, news agency PTI reported. The disappearance of the teacher has caused furore in the state. The accused was arrested from a sugarcane field in Bolangir on Tuesday. The accused is the president of the managing committee of the school where she taught.
The teacher, who is 24 years old, went missing on October 8. The police on Tuesday exhumed half burnt and mutilated body from 10 feet under the playground of the school at Mahaling where she taught. The family claimed that the body was that of the missing teacher.
The accused was booked under Section 366 of the IPC (kidnapping a woman to compel her to marry or to cause her defilement).
BJP’s protesters halt daily life
The Kalahandi district came to a standstill following the shutdown call, police officials told PTI. They said that BJP workers in large numbers took the street and picketed in important locations. Some BJP workers also blocked roads, burnt tyres and protested in front of government offices.
Some BJP Mahila Morcha members attempted to enter DS Mishra’s residence in Bhubaneswar and threw eggs at it. Police forces were deployed near the minister’s house immediately.
Bhawanipatna, Junagarh, Jaipatna, Kesinga, Narla, M Rampur, Dharamgarh and Lanjigarh areas also came to a standstill following the shutdown call. Business establishments and educational institutions remained closed while shops and roads were also deserted. The NH-26 also wore a deserted look due to the shutdown.
BJD and BJP workers come face to face
Naktiguda witnessed Biju Janata Dal (BJD) workers come face to face with BJP workers but the former left the site and the picketing staged by the BJP workers continued.
BJP calls for bandh
The BJP called a Bolangir bandh on Thursday over this issue. The BJP as well as the Congress are demanding the resignation of Mishra and a CBI probe into the incident. The party state president Samir Mohanty demanded Mishra’s resignation over the incident. He said that he should step down as it was his constituency and the accused was close to him. Odisha’s leader of opposition PK Naik asked Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik to conduct a CBI probe. He in a letter also said that Mishra should resign for sake of a neutral enquiry.
In his letter he said the accused allegedly also physically exploited girl students admitted to the school and the college which are run by him.
