Politics over the alleged kidnapping and murder of five-year-old Pari from Nayargah district has intensified with a delegation of BJP leaders led by its legislative party leader Pradipta Nayak meeting the victim’s family at their village and BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra staging a demonstration in front of the Odisha Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday.
The BJP delegation also visited the site where the minor girl’s skeletal remains were found.
“As a senior minister Arun Sahoo has been accused of shielding the perpetrators of the crime, he should first resign. A CBI probe can only reveal the truth and not the SIT or crime branch probe,” Nayak said.
Upping the ante, a group of BJP leaders led by Patra on Monday held a demonstration in New Delhi and demanded immediate sacking of Sahoo. The Nayagarh Assembly constituency falls within the Puri parliamentary Lok Sabha constituency from where Patra had contested in the last general election.
The BJP also organised rallies in different parts of the state demanding Sahoo’s resignation and justice Pari’s family.
Patra met the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and demanded the launch of a special probe into the incident. Urging the commission to send a fact-finding team to inquire about the crime, Patra appealed to the panel to summon the Nayagarh district collector and SP for not taking prompt action in the matter.
“The parents have alleged that one Babuli Nayak, who is involved in human organ racket and is close to the minister, is involved in the crime. But police have failed to take any action against him so far,” he told reporters.
On July 14, Pari was kidnapped while playing near her house in her native village in Nayagarh district. A fortnight later, her skeletal remains were found from the backyard of the house.
Her parents alleged that police were not taking any action in the matter because the people involved in the crime were close to higher education minister Arun Sahoo.
The Odisha government has ordered a court-monitored SIT probe into the incident. While a section of the Congress leaders have welcomed the government’s move, another section has opposed it and questioned the leadership on the issue.
Senior Congress MLAs Suresh Kumar Routray and Santosh Singh Saluja’s statement that they had been asked to drop the demand for resignation of the minister after Congress legislature party leader Narasingh Misha expressed satisfaction with the announcement of SIT probe has triggered a debate.
“I am not satisfied with the SIT probe ordered by the chief minister but we have been asked to keep quiet,” Routray said, hinting at a deal between senior party leaders and Sahoo.
Another Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja told The Telegraph, “ I have reservations on the issue of SIT probe. I am not satisfied but I have to accept the order of our leader in the Assembly.”
Earlier, Congress legislature party leader Narasingha Mishra had said that the order for a SIT probe into the matter was a historic victory for the Congress. The government was forced to make the announcement following pressure from the Congress.
Odisha Assembly, which witnessed pandemonium over the issue for five days, was adjourned sine die on Sunday evening, a month ahead of the scheduled closure of its winter session.
