CBI quizzes sikshya sahayak in lady teacher Itishree murder case

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Rayagada, Feb 8:

The CBI today grilled Sunil Kumar Pradhan, sikshya sahayak of Antamada School in the Tikiri primary school teacher Itishree Pradhan murder case.

Pradhan was grilled by CBI DSP M K Pathak for three long hours at the CBI Rayagada camp. Sources said since deceased Itishree had shared her problems with Pradhan he was questioned by the central investigating agency.

The CBI has interrogated more than 30 persons in the Itishree murder case.

Itishree Pradhan a lady teacher of Tikiri Upper Primary School in Odisha’s Rayagada district was set on fire inside her room in the school campus on the night of October 27, 2013 and succumbed to her injuries at the CARE Hospital at Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh on November 1, 2013.

While the state government had ordered a Crime Branch probe into the incident, the latter has failed to nab the prime accused more than a year after the incident.

Following a writ petition filed by Sudipta Lenka, a law student from Bengaluru, the Supreme Court had directed the CBI to probe into the case on January 20, 2015.

While the state government had requested the apex court to allow it to continue the investigation by the Crime Branch, the court declined to accept the plea pointing out that the mode of investigation by the state police had cast a doubt since the prime accused is yet to be nabbed more than one year after the incident.

Acting on the directive of the court, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the CBI began the probe into the case on February 25, 2015.