NHRC seeks ATR on BJD worker’s death in Odisha MLA’s official res

Reported by Chinmaya Dehury
Bhubaneswar, Aug 13:

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the Odisha chief secretary and DGP to furnish action taken report on the mysterious death of a BJD worker in the official quarters of BJD MLA and former minister Pramila Mallick.

Acting on a petition filed by human rights activist Subash Mohapatra, the commission has directed the government to submit the ATR within four weeks. The direction was issued on Tuesday.

The petitioner has sought a thorough probe by the CBI into the mysterious death of BJD worker Surendra Routaray of Banpur village in Jajpur District.

It may be recalled here that the body of Routray was found hanging from a tree inside the premises of the official quarters of the ruling BJD MLA on July 27 morning.

Sources in the NHRC also revealed that the Odisha chief secretary and DGP have so far not complied with the Commission’s earlier direction in the matter of mysterious death of Birupakshya Ranasingh inside the former minister and actor Prashant Nanda’s government quarters on June 25, 2013.

“The non-compliance of the Commission’s direction for over a year suggests that the police are helping their political masters in suppressing the matter. The role of the police in the investigation of the death of political workers in former ministers’ official houses is suspect. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik should come clean on this and explain the inordinate delay in the probe. He can not run away from his responsibility,” said Mohapatra in his reaction.