Odisha DWO suicide: Collector, PA, ITDA shunted out

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Feb 21:

Caught on a cleft stick over the suicide of Rayagada DWO Dhaneswar Prusty inside his office last week, the Odisha government today ordered the transfer of Collector Sashi Bhushan Padhi and Project Administrator (PA), Integrated Tribal Development Authority (ITDA) Gorachand Gamang, who are under fire for their alleged role in abetting Prusty’s suicide.

Padhi has been shifted as additional secretary, Health while Gamang has been posted as the APD, DRDA. Jagannath Mohanty, additional secretary in the School and Mass Education department, will take over as the new Rayagada collector in place of Padhi, an official notification issued today said.

The shunting out of the two officers, who have been named in Prusty’s suicide note recovered by hte police, has, however, failed to assuage the opposition, which has been clamouring for their arrest.

The party, it may be noted, had observed a Rayagada bandh yesterday and had announced the launch of a civil disobedience movement against the two officers demanding their immediate arrest. They had threatened to pelt eggs, stones and chappals on them wherever they went.

“Instead of taking action against the Collector, the government has merely transferred him – and that too to a prized post. We condemn the revengeful attitude of the government and demand a CBI inquiry into the case,” Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said.

The BJD rubbished the demand for a CBI inquiry. “If every case is to be probed by the CBI, then why should we have a police force in the first place? The probe announced by the government has not even begun and hence the demand for a CBI  probe is not warranted at this stage,” BJD chief whip Ananta Das said.

“Besides, if the CBI is the last word in crime investigation, then why are they shouting that it has gone slow in the probe into the chit fund scam?” he asked.