Former Odisha minister's son arrested in dowry case

Three days after his wife slapped a dowry torture case against him and four of his family members, Raja Shree Mohanty, son of former Odisha Law Minister Raghunath Mohanty, was arrested today.
Raja Shree (28) was arrested near Cuttack on the basis of evidence against him, additional director general (ADG), Human Rights Protection Cell (HRPC) of Odisha police Bijay Kumar Sharma said.
Asked whether other family members, including Raghunath Mohanty who resigned from the Naveen Patnaik Ministry on March 15 following dowry torture charges, would be arrested, Sharma said an investigation was on and that appropriate action would be taken as per requirement of the case.

"Our main focus was on the accused husband. We will proceed (in the case) according to proof," he said.
Asked as to where Raja Shree was arrested from, Sharma evaded a direct reply stating, "It would not be proper at this stage to disclose the exact place of his arrest".
Raja Shree was interrogated today and would be taken to Balasore to produce him before the court by the HRPC team, he said.

"We have already interrogated him today. If required, he would be further interrogated," the ADG said adding as of now there was no plan to bring him on remand. However, if required they might do so in future, he said.

Raja Shree, who had married Barsha Swony Choudhury alias Mohanty barely eight months ago, has moved an anticipatory bail petition in the Orissa High Court in the wake of the dowry torture case filed by his wife in Balasore on March 14.
Meanwhile, Raghunath Mohanty remained incommunicado as the demand for his arrest grew louder. The senior Mohanty, who resigned on March 15, was neither seen at the Assembly since then nor at his residence while his mobile phone remained switched off.
His daughter-in-law had slapped a dowry torture case against him and his family and the issue created pandemonium in the Assembly in the last two days.