Mamita Meher murder case: BJP demands Minister's resignation

Bhubaneswar, Oct 30 (IANS) BJP Mahila Morcha National President Vanathi Srinivasan on Saturday demanded resignation of MoS in Odisha government, Dibya Shankar Mishra over the Mamita Meher murder case.Srinivasan said the minister must step down for the sake of free and fair investigation. She also reiterated the demand for a CBI probe into the murder case.Addressing a press conference here, the BJP leader said the Assembly constituency where the crime took place is represented by minister Mishra and the accused Gobinda Sahu is known to be his close aide.Mishra had visited the school many times. Funds from the MLA LAD have been provided to Sahu's school too, she alleged.Even though three weeks have passed of the incident, neither Mishra nor anyone from the State government visited the family, the BJP leader said."Mishra, the Minister of State for Home broke his silence by issuing a statement yesterday claiming that he is in no way involved in the case. He swore by the name of Goddess Manikeswari and pleaded not guilty. Similarly, we in the BJP request him (Mishra) in the name of Lord Jagannath to resign to pave way for a fair probe into the murder case," demanded the BJP Mahila Morcha national president.If he is innocent, what prevented him from visiting Mamita's home to console the bereaved family, she questioned.BJP leader and MLA from West Bengal, Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury, who is another member of the Central BJP team, slammed the state government for not reaching out to the family yet even 22 days after the incident.Chaudhury urged the Naveen Patnaik government to strictly follow the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018 to ensure the safety and security of witnesses.The three-member BJP Central team was on a two-day visit to Odisha to carry out a ground assessment of facts in the Mamita Meher murder case. The other member is Haryana MP Sunita Duggal. The team visited the victim's native village in Bolangir district and spoke to the parents of the victim and offered their condolences.Meanwhile, the State BJP on Saturday intensified its protest over the issue. The BJP activists staged protests at Rourkela, Cuttack and Nayagarh in support of their demand for the arrest of Mishra.The party also observed a 12-hour bandh (from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) in several districts including Boudh, Kendrapara, Balasore and Jagatsinghpur. The party has also called for a 6-hour bandh in Bhadrak district.
--IANS
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