In Odisha’s Kalahandi district, a 24-year-old teacher named Mamita Meher had gone missing on October 8. On October 19, a badly charred and decomposed corpse of a woman was found buried in an under-construction stadium that is owned by the same institution where the teacher worked.
Though the identity of the body is yet to be confirmed, there is a strong possibility that it was the missing school teacher.
The case has created a political storm in the state. Accusations have been hurled at Dibyashankar Mishra, a BJD Minister and MLA of the same constituency where the incident has occurred. Both BJP and Congress have called for protests in the state.
https://twitter.com/sksingh_deo/status/1450426031559512072?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwBalangir’s BJP MP Sangeeta Singh Deo has called the incident shameful. Mamita hailed from a village in the Balangir district and had been working in the neighbouring Kalahandi district as a teacher in Mahaling Sunshine School.
Allegations against state minister and BJD leader Dibyashankar Mishra
A barrage of allegations, from involvement in a sex racket to complicity in the disappearance and possible murder of the schoolteacher, have been levelled against minister Dibyashankar Mishra. Mishra is an MLA from Junagarh, the constituency where Mahaling school is located.
On October 19, when the said corpse was being dug out from the Mahaling stadium with the help of an excavator, local political leaders stated that the minister was a frequent visitor to the schools and even stayed there in the night.
Speaking to Odia daily Sambada, Kalahandi Zilla Parishad chairperson Namitarani Sahu alleged, “Many ministers used to visit this school. Dibyashankar Mishra visited this school every week. There are three other colleges in this constituency, why did he have to visit this particular institution every time? He was also granting govt aid to this institution. He even stayed here in the night.”
It is notable here that the schoolteacher Mamita Meher was also the warden of the Girls’ hostel run by the Mahaling institution. There are some reports claiming that Mamita was on the verge of exposing an alleged sex racket running in the school before she suddenly disappeared.
https://twitter.com/pradiptanaikbjp/status/1450659353715871744?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwMain accused flees from police custody, nabbed two days later
Gobinda Sahu, the main accused in the Mamita Meher disappearance (and now most likely murder) case, was nabbed and was under the custody of Titilagarh police when he escaped on October 17. The escape of the main accused has further irked the public and political opposition. Sahu was later arrested from Budhipadar in Bangomunda block, Balangir district on October 19.
Odisha police drew sharp criticism after Sahu’s escape. He had escaped from Titilagarh police barracks. The escape has further consolidated the allegations of complicity of ruling party leaders in the case.
Gobinda Sahu is the Management Committee president of the school where Mamita worked. As per reports, Sahu had called Mamita to come and meet him on the day she went missing. Reports say that Sahu and some other persons were allegedly sexually exploiting some women employees and Mamita had threatened to expose it.
Sahu was reportedly close to minister Minister Dibyashanakr Mishra. He had been involved in government projects and had also got grants from MPLAD and MLALAD funds.
Burned, then buried
The case was already under investigation after Mamita’s family filed a missing complaint. On October 19, the police brought in an excavator to dig in a spot at the under-construction stadium that is owned by the Mahaling institution. A badly charred body was then recovered from the ground.
https://twitter.com/otvnews/status/1450405388034011141?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwThough the body, decomposed beyond recognition, was sent for forensic examination, Mamita’s family present at the spot confirmed that the gold chain, handbag and some other items found on the body belonged to their daughter.
As per the latest reports, the accused Gobinda Sahu, who was nabbed after 2 days of fleeing from custody, has now confessed to killing Mamita.
https://twitter.com/otvnews/status/1450688458284941312?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwLatest reports say that Mamita’s murder was pre-planned. A car involved in the murder (OD08K 1002) has been confiscated by the police. Mamita was reportedly murdered after an argument with Gobinda Sahu. The body was burned and was later buried in a pit that was dug up on October 6. The suspected car was seized on October 14, and Mamita’s anklet and a jar of petrol was found in the car.