A public interest litigation (PIL) petition has been filed in Orissa High Court seeking a CBI probe into the kidnapping and murder of a five-year-old girl in Nayagarh district.
Bharat Vikash Parishad, which has filed the petition, has also demanded Rs 25 lakh as compensation for the family of the victim Pari.

On Wednesday, the Odisha government had ordered a crime branch probe into the incident following a public uproar and mounting pressure from the Opposition.

The Odisha Assembly again witnessed pandemonium over the issue on Thursday.

The Opposition BJP and the Congress trained their guns on higher education minister Arun Sahoo, who hails from Nayagarh district, and demanded his resignation. He has been accused of shielding the culprits. The BJP also burnt effigies of the minister.

Under fire from different quarters, Sahoo issued a statement on Thursday saying he welcomed the crime branch probe and that “whoever is involved in the murder case of Pari” should be brought to the book.

“The issue should not be politicised. Let Pari get justice and the truth come to the fore,” he said.