Cuttack/Sambalpur: The Orissa High Court has granted bail to Pritiman Dey, a friend of late VSSUT student Chinmayee Priyadarshini Sahu, who was arrested in connection with her death case.

After hearing the matter, the High Court observed there was insufficient evidence to establish that Chinmayee’s death was a case of murder. The court noted police investigations and reports pointed to suicide.

During the probe, police had submitted before the court that Chinmayee’s death was due to drowning. The post-mortem report as well as the diatom test confirmed drowning as the cause of death.

Chinmayee, a resident of Madanpur in Kalahandi district and a B.Tech student of Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT), Sambalpur, was found dead in the power channel of the Hirakud Dam on March 1, 2023.

She had attended the convocation ceremony at VSSUT on February 28, 2023, to collect her degree certificate. Later that evening, she went to the Hirakud dam’s power channel bridge with a friend, where she reportedly went missing after falling into the channel. Her body was recovered the next day.

Following the incident, the police registered a case and detained Pritiman Dey and Manas Tudu for questioning. While the police concluded it was a case of suicide, Chinmayee’s family alleged foul play and moved the High Court demanding a fresh probe. Acting on the plea, the High Court had earlier directed a reinvestigation into the case.