Social worker received threat call: Police

Bhubaneswar: Social worker and philanthropist Aditya Dash (27), who was found dead along the railway track near Lingaraj station here on Tuesday, had allegedly received a threat from an anonymous source a few months ago, police said. The government railway police (GRP) has come to know about it from a diary, which was recovered from his home in Sundarapada area here on Wednesday.
Though police strongly suspected Aditya committed suicide by jumping in front of a running train, the recovery of the diary with the threat content may give a spin to the investigation. Police said most of the contents in the diary were dull and sorrowful.
“It was written that there was a threat to his life as he spearheaded an anti-liquor movement in the city recently. The diary further read if anything happened to him, his volunteers should carry forward the agitation,” a GRP officer said.
Railway superintendent of police (Cuttack) Ashok Biswal said the investigation was in progress. “We will send the diary to the handwriting bureau for verification. As of now, we do not sense any foul play behind his death,” said Biswal, who on Wednesday visited the spot where Aditya’s body was found, his house and old-age home.
Police said Aditya and his wife Bidyashree, who were married last month, had an altercation on Monday evening. “Aditya was into social activism and philanthropy. But his wife wanted him to take up a job. She too was looking for a job. On Monday evening, Aditya was aggrieved when his wife again insisted him for a job. He shouted at her and asked her to leave the home. After sometime, Aditya left home in a huff and did not return that night. Next morning, his body was found along the railway track,” Biswal said.
Bidyashree denied there was any discord with her husband. It was a minor argument. “We understood each other very well,” she said. Police said they were examining the call detail records (CDR) of the couple.
Aditya’s father Nandakishore Dash said his son might have been murdered. “My son was not a coward. He was showing the path of life and happiness to the pessimists. He could not have committed suicide,” he said.