Odisha: Crime Branch Grills college teachers over parcel bomb explosion

BALANGIR/PATNAGARH: A team of the Crime Branch (CB) on Sunday grilled four persons, including two college lecturers, in connection with the parcel bomb explosion in Patnagarh that killed a newly-wed techie and his grandmother besides injuring his wife seriously in February this year.

The four are English lecturer of Jyoti Vikash Junior College at Bhainsa Punjilal Meher, Odia lecturer of National College, Nuapara Shiba Sa, Umesh Motari and Raj Kumar Dash. A contractor, identified as Chandramani Meher of Udyanbandh in Nuapara district, is also being grilled in Komna police station.
Sources said the four were picked up by CB from their respective homes early in the morning and taken to an undisclosed location for interrogation. The CB team has also seized laptops, mobile phones, phone diaries and some documents from the houses of Punjilal, Shiba and Umesh.

Punjilal is a colleague of the mother of the deceased techie Soumya Sekhar Sahu. He also served as the principal of the college before being replaced by Soumya’s mother Sanjukta Sahu. Chandramani is believed to be a relative of Punjilal.Sources said Punjilal and Sanjukta were not in good terms as the former was reluctant to hand over the charge of principal to the latter. Punjilal felt insulted after being replaced by Sanjukta on seniority basis. It is suspected that Punjilal might have sent the parcel bomb to avenge the insult and Sanjukta was also a target.

Sanjukta said she was being harassed and obstructed to discharge her duties as principal at the behest of Punjilal. This disclosure could have led the CB to zero in on Punjilal and his associates.With DGP RP Sharma claiming that the case will be solved soon and IG of CB Arun Bothra camping at Patnagarh for  the last couple of days, it is believed that the accused in the case is already in Crime Branch custody.
On February 23, Soumya, his wife Reema and grandmother Jemamani were unwrapping the gifts when a parcel exploded at their Patnagarh residence. While Soumya and Jemamani died in the blast, Reema sustained grievous injuries.

Rivalry motive

Punjilal is a colleague of Sanjukta who is mother of the deceased techie
Punjilal and Sanjukta were not in good terms as the former was reluctant to hand over the charge of principal to the latter
Chandramani is believed to be a relative of Punjilal