Jagatsinghpur police have urged the crime branch to investigate an allegation that a ruling BJD MLA in Odisha, Bijay Sankar Das, was involved in running a sex racket.
Sources said the crime branch has started an investigation. However, as the monsoon session of the Assembly is on, everyone has remained tight-lipped on the sensitive issue. MLA Das said: “As I am busy with a function relating to the death anniversary of my father, I will not talk on the issue at present.”
Jagatsinghpur SP Akhileshvar Singh has requested the additional director general (ADG) crime branch for a probe into the alleged sex racket run by Das based on a FIR by 39-year-old Das’s friend Somalika Dash, 29.
“It is to intimate that basing on the written report of Complt. Somalika Das, daughter of Sangram Keshari Das of village Deuli Grameswar, District Jagatsinghpur, the above-noted case has been registered against Bijay Sankar Das, son of late Bishnu Charan Das, the sitting MLA of Tirtol, Jagatsinghpur,” said the SP in a letter to the crime branch.
The SP was referring to the case that was lodged following an FIR lodged by Somalika on June 18, 2022. The case was registered under Section 420/195-A (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, threatens another person to give false evidence), 506-B (punishment for criminal intimidation), 294 ( sings, recites or utters any obscene song,) 509 insult the modesty of woman, 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 120-B (criminal conspiracy)/34 IPC(Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention/Section 3/4/5/6 Immoral Traffic Prevention (Act).
“The Complt. has alleged that the FIR named accused is operating sex racket and running brothel house. As a result of which, there is many hues and cry over the issue politically as well as on social media. As the FIR named accused is the sitting MLA of Tirtol Assembly constituency, it has become a sensitive issue. The Complt. also wants the investigation to be taken up by the CID, CB, Odisha for impartial investigation, which has been published in print media,” the SP said in its letter on July 4.
The SP said: “Under the above circumstances, it is requested that orders may be passed that the investigation of the above-noted case may be taken up by CID, CB for a detailed investigation to the allegations of the Complt. of the case,”
Somalika Dash lodged an FIR on June 18 after his boyfriend, MLA Bijay Sankar Das, did not turn up for marriage with her at the Registrar of Marriage Office at Jagatsinghpur on June 17.
Somalika told The Telegraph: “I have had an affair with Das for nearly four years. He has raped me multiple times against my will and without my consent and after doing these illegal acts he promised to marry me each time. After I sent a complaint to the police on May 13 to register a case under Section 376 of IPC, he tried to hush up the case stating that he would marry me. Even the date was fixed for the court marriage. But on June 17 he did not turn up. The case under section 376 IPC is yet to be registered.”
Somalika said: “After I was fed up with his behaviour, many girls called me and said how they have been victimised. Later I decided to fight to expose him.”
On being asked whether she would marry if MLA Das came up with a marriage proposal again, Somalika said: “I have not yet made up my mind on marriage. But he should be punished. Had he not done anything wrong, he would have filed a defamation case against me.”
“We have received the letter of Jagatsinghpur SP requesting for a crime branch probe into the alleged activities of the MLA. We can not reveal details into the case at present,” said a senior official of the Odisha crime branch.
