Reported by Ranjan Rath
Rayagada, Feb 22:

The Odisha Crime Branch police, probing into the suicide of Dhaneswar Prustry, District Welfare Officer of Rayagada on February 17, have so far interrogated 16 persons including the district collector and the PA, ITDA.

Crime Branch officials at Rayagada collector's office Crime Branch officials at Rayagada collector's office

Sources said the state investigating agency has collected detailed information about the incidents before and after the death of the DWO.

The Crime Branch sleuths today went to the office of the collector today and seized the files pertaining to public hearing on February 16, a day before the suicide of the DFO.

Meanwhile, there has been political unrest in the district following the death of the DWO.

While the BJP has continued its dharna in front of the SP office since last four days demanding the arrest of the collector Sashibhusan Padhi and PA ITDA Gorachand Gamang and a CBI probe into the incident, the Congress has begun its agitation in front of the collector’s office since Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Kalinga Sena activists, led by the district unit president Janmejaya Swain, today took out a rally in the town demanding the dismissal of of the collector and the PA, ITDA from their service and staged a dharna at Kapilash Chhak.

Talking to OST, Swain said all Kalinga Sena activists from the state would converge at Rayagada and intensify their agitation if the state government fails to meet their demand within five days.