Odisha quadruple murder: protesters demand CBI probe

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Astaranga, Sep 28:

Hundreds of angry locals, including women, today ransacked the tehsil office in Astaranga in Odisha’s Puri district and locked up block and other government offices protesting against the tardy progress in the investigations by the Crime Branch police in the Dinadiyan Nagar village quadruple murder case.

The locals demanded for transfer of the case to the CBI for investigation.

Earlier in the day, the locals first staged a demonstration in front of the Astaranga police station and set fire to old automobile tires on the road. Later, the protesters ransacked the local tehsil office and locked the block and other government offices.

The protesters were up in arms since no one has been caught in the quadruple murder even eight days after the incident and seven days after the Crime Branch took over the investigation into the case.

Shopkeepers too downed their shutters in protest against the tardy progress in investigations by the Crime Branch.

The situation was brought under control after Puri additional SP Jagannath Pradhan arrived at the spot and persuaded the people to maintain calm and desist from violence.

“Crime Branch is doing its job with firmness. As far as I know, Crime Branch is doing its job perfectly well. I am not authorized to tell anything beyond that. Since people are demanding handing over of the case to the CBI and were rigid, I told them that I will speak to my superiors. I will send the memorandum submitted by the protesters to my higher officials. After my assurance, they dispersed and withdrew their agitation,” Pradhan told reporters here.

It may be mentioned here that Dinabandhu Mallick (65), a retired district inspector (DI) of schools, his wife Komodini Mallick (50) and two daughters were killed in a gruesome manner with their throats slit on the night of September 21 in his home in Dinadiyan Nagar village under Astaranga police limits.

On September 23, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ordered a Crime Branch inquiry into the quadruple murder.

The Crime Branch has questioned the nephew, brothers, daughter and son-in-law of the deceased retired DI.

After retirement, Mallick had opened a paan shop in his village. As the paan shop remained closed for the whole day, a villager went to Dinbandhu’s house to find out the reason and found all the four members of the house murdered.

He found the body of the elder daughter on the top floor of their house while the bodies of the three other members were found in another room.

When police reached the place, villagers did not allow them to take possession of the bodies and send them for post-mortem demanding a Crime Branch inquiry into the case.