Naveen Patnaik has announced an investigation into the murder of a five-year-old girl.
Bhubaneswar:
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced on Friday an investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the kidnapping and murder of a five-year-old girl in Nayagarh district.
Participating in the assembly process through a video link, Patnaik said he was deeply saddened by the incident and that his government will always uphold the rule of law.
“If the SIT investigation is what is required, the state government will take action on it and will do so immediately,” Patnaik said amid the chaos in the House.
As Patnaik spoke, members of the opposition BJP and Congress continued to raise slogans, demanding the resignation of agriculture minister Arun Kumar Sahoo for his alleged role in protecting the main defendants.
“I ask all members to cooperate and participate,” said Patnaik, as the assembly did not handle any business for the second day in a row due to the pandemonium of the opposition members.
The BJP members demanded a CBI investigation into the incident and the resignation of the agriculture minister, while the MLA in Congress demanded a court-supervised SIT investigation, in addition to the removal of the minister.
Although the state government had previously announced an investigation by the Crimes Section into the kidnapping and murder of the girl on July 14, the opposition parties dismissed it as a sham.
They argued that the Crime Branch investigation would not be impartial as long as Sahoo remains in office.
BJP deputy leader in the assembly, BC Sethi, said: “There is no reason to cancel the uproar in the assembly. We had not demanded an investigation from the SIT. The BJP demand was an investigation by the CBI and the resignation of the minister. , which were not fulfilled. “
Sethi said his party will continue to demand the minister’s resignation.
Congress has yet to comment on the prime minister’s announcement.
Speaker SN Patro adjourned the House several times during the day and called a meeting of all parties to normalize procedures. On Wednesday, the state government had ordered the Crimes Section to take over the investigation.
A seven-member team from the Crimes Section led by Deputy Director General Yashwant Jethwa initiated the investigation at the Nayagarh Sadar Police Station.
BJP supporters also held a demonstration in front of the assembly and burned an effigy of the minister, demanding his resignation.
Police had difficulty approaching BJP activists who gathered near the main gate of the assembly, trying to break into the premises. Ten BJP sympathizers were arrested, a senior police official said.
The kidnapping and murder case came to light after the girl’s parents tried to immolate themselves, pouring kerosene, in front of the main gate of the assembly four days ago.
They had publicly accused the minister of protecting Babuli Nayak, the first defendant in the case.
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