Parala suicides: Odisha CB grills Cong leader, municipal councillor

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Oct 3:

The Odisha Crime Branch (CB) at its headquarters here today interrogated a local municipal councillor and a Congress leader in connection with the Paralakhemundi quadruple suicide case.

Paralakhemundi Municipality councillor Bibhuti Nayak and local Congress leader Sudhi Ranjan Mahapatra today appeared before the Crime Branch here for interrogation in response to the agency’s summons in connection with the suicides of Ananga Manjari Patra, the former manager of Paralakhemundi Maharaja Gajapati Gopinath Narayan Deb and three of her siblings.

Though nothing is clear on what the duo was asked by the agency’s interrogators, Congress leader Sudhi Ranjan Mahapatra on being confronted by the media after his interrogation said that the Crime Branch had sought his cooperation and he has cooperated accordingly. He added that he would cooperate with the agency whenever it required his cooperation.

It may be recalled here that a highly-placed official of the Crime Branch had revealed on Friday that Congress legislator K Surya Rao and eight others would be interrogated by the agency in connection with the Paralakhemundi quadruple suicide case adding all those whose names have figured in the suicide notes and the FIR have been served with summons by the Crime Branch.

It may be mentioned here that body of Ananga and her two other siblings, was recovered from her Jangam Sahi residence in Paralakhemundi on August 21.

Another brother, Santosh, was rescued from the house, where he was found lying on the floor, in a critical condition. The following day, he died at MKCG Medical College and Hospital.

Three suicide notes were later recovered from the residence wherein names of 11 persons were mentioned. The writers of the notes had held Rao and a particular television channel responsible for their deaths.

Rao had led a campaign demanding action against Ananga and her brother who worked as a personal assistant to the king for keeping the Maharaja under house arrest and trying to sell off royal properties.