Opposition Congress and BJP staged a walkout in the Odisha assembly today demanding a CBI probe into the murder of a woman teacher in Rayagada, even as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged them not to trivialise the case for narrow political gains.
Terming the murder of the teacher for allegedly refusing to withdraw a case of sexual harassment against her senior as an "extremely regrettable incident", Patnaik said, "...This is a very serious issue and opposition parties should not trivialise it for narrow political gains."
Patnaik was replying to a debate on the killing of the teacher of Tikiri Upper Primary School in Rayagada district, who had earlier even approached the Chief Minister seeking his intervention in her case. She was later set on fire by unknown miscreants while asleep.
Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan said since the teacher in her dying statement had named the Chief Minister, he should come under the purview of investigation. "Therefore, we demand a CBI probe into the matter," he said.
He held the state government responsible for the death of the young teacher. "The Chief Minister has already admitted that the government is responsible for the death of the teacher. Therefore, it dismissed four officials on charge of dereliction in duty in the case."
"Had the government addressed her grievance promptly, her life could have been saved," he said, adding she had filed an FIR against sub-inspector of schools Netrananda Dandasena accusing him of molesting her on July 18. However, Dandasena was not arrested till an unknown miscreant set her on fire.
The Congress leader said the teacher had also filed an FIR against Dandasena's wife accusing her of issuing threats to her for filing the molestation case.
The teacher, hailing from Puri district, had approached the Rayagada district collector and superintendent of police over the threat perception on her life. She had also written to the director general of police, the Chief Minister, state commission for women chief, the Odisha State Human Rights Commission, the school and mass education minister among others, he added.
