BHUBANESWAR:
Political blame game over alleged gangrape of a
minor girl in Kunduli area of Koraput district in Odisha on October 10 last year and her suicide on January 22 escalated on Sunday.
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan raked up the issue of the 'missing' suicide note of the girl while reiterating the BJP's demand for a CBI probe into the alleged rape and suicide.
He also demanded chief minister Naveen Patnaik's resignation on moral grounds since the CM holds the home portfolio under which the state police work.
"Suicide note hand-written by the girl could have helped crack the case. But instead of making it part of the investigation process, the police destroyed it...the suicide note could have nailed many influential people who created a situation forcing her to end life," Dharmendra said.
Addressing a news conference at the BJP state headquarters here, Dharmendra questioned why Naveen never reviewed investigations into the Kunduli rape though he reviews lesser significant incidents such as infights in his own party frequently.
The Union minister said the girl had complained of being offered money by a senior police officer. The government could have lodged a probe into the serious allegation on the basis of the audio tape which is available, he said and played out the audio. In the audio tape, the girl alleged she was offered Rs 90,000 by a senior cop to remain silent on the rape.
Justifying the demand for the CBI probe, Dharmendra said the judicial commission of inquiry ordered into the crime is eyewash. Fate of judicial probes into past incidents such as killing of Swami Laxmanand Saraswati in 2008 and police firing killing 13 people at Kalinganagar in Jajpur district in 2006 had not reached logical conclusions.
Reminding how Anjana Mishra rape case in 1999 became a major factor behind the debacle of the JB Patnaik-led Congress government then, Dharmendra said the Naveen Patnaik government will face similar fate because of its covering up of the latest rape and suicide.
The BJD countered Dharmendra. Addressing a news conference at BJD headquarters here, party spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Pratap Keshari Deb said the BJP is desperate to make political capital out of the alleged
rape-suicide keeping in mind the ensuing by-election for Bijepur assembly seat on February 24.
Deb said the state government has been doing its duty on the allegation with due diligence. The chief minister ordered a judicial inquiry after questions were raised over the Crime Branch probe, he said. "There is no question of covering up the crime or protecting any accused. Truth will come out in the judicial probe," he said.
Deb said if Dharmendra has no faith in judicial probe, he can impress the central government for an interdepartmental inquiry into the crime. On demand for CBI probe, Deb said the CBI could not make any headway in the murder of Itishree Pradhan, a teacher, in 2013.
Reacting to Dharmendra's comparison of Kunduli incident with Anjana Mishra rape case, the BJD spokesperson said there is no parallel between the two. Unlike in Anjana case, there is no suspicion of involvement of any politician or state government employee in the alleged rape, he said.
Dharmendra Pradhan addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.
