Odisha woman’s burnt body found, could be of missing teacher: Police

The teacher had accused Gobind Sahu, the president of the school’s managing committee, of running a sex racket in the premises and had reportedly threatened to expose his wrongdoings, the officials added.

Published on: Oct 20, 2021, 24:16:10 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Hindustan Times, Bhuubaneswar

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A partially-charred body of a woman was found in an under-construction stadium of a private school at Odisha’s Kalahandi district on Tuesday, with police suspecting that the body could be of a 26-year-old teacher who went missing earlier this month, officials familiar with the matter said.

Sahu was apprehended from his house in Bolangir district. Three constables were suspended on charge of dereliction of duty.

The teacher had accused Gobind Sahu, the president of the school’s managing committee, of running a sex racket in the premises and had reportedly threatened to expose his wrongdoings, the officials added. While Sahu has been apprehended, the opposition in the state alleged that the key suspect is a close aide of minister of state for home Dibya Shankar Mishra who is trying to protect him. They demanded his sacking and a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the matter.

Police discovered the body at the school premises in the village during the probe into sex racket charges, the officials cited above said on condition of anonymity. The deceased’s family have identified the body by the items found at the spot, the officials said.

“As the body is partially-burnt, it would be sent for DNA testing,” Bolangir deputy superintendent of police Bata Krushna Mishra said.

Officials said that the teacher left her home to meet Sahu on October 8. After finding her phone switched off, her family on October 9 called Sahu who reportedly asked them not to worry about her whereabouts, the officials added. The woman’s father alleged that Sahu was running a sex racket in the school and his daughter was killed as she had threatened to “expose his deeds”.

Sahu was apprehended from his house in Bolangir district. Three constables were suspended on charge of dereliction of duty.

BJP leader Namitarani Sahu alleged that “the teacher was raped by Sahu” during Mishra’s reported frequent school visits. Reacting to the demand for his resignation, Mishra told PTI that “anyone found guilty will be punished”.

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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