Prime accused in Kalahandi woman teacher kidnapping-murder case found hanging in jail

Govind Sahu, the prime accused in the kidnapping and murder of a woman teacher in Kalahandi district of Odisha, was on Tuesday found hanging from a tree on the premises of a jail in Bolangir district, police said.

Authorities of Kantabanji sub-jail said Sahu was found hanging from a tree with 'gamcha' (thin cotton towel) and was rushed to the sub-divisional hospital where doctors declared him dead. He was scheduled to be produced before the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class on Tuesday.

Director General of Police S K Bansal directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to take over the investigation, while Opposition BJP and Congress demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, alleging conspiracy behind the unnatural death.

Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) also took suo motu cognisance of the custodial death and asked the Special Director General of Prisons and DCS and Bolangir Superintendent of Police to submit their respective reports within 15 days.

DIG Prisons, Bhubaneswar, Subhakanta Mishra admitted that there were lapses on the part of the jail authorities at Kantabanji and said disciplinary action will be taken against those found guilty.

He said DIG, Sambalpur will submit a report within 24 hours, and that all guidelines issued by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over custodial death are being followed.

Bolangir Superintendent of Police Kulaskar Nitin Dagdu reached Kantabanji and spoke with senior police officers. ''DGP, Odisha has ordered CID-Crime Branch to take over enquiry into Kantabanji Police Station U.D. Case No. 15/2022. This Case relates to unnatural death of Gobind Sahu, prime accused of Sindhikela Police Station Case No. 97/21 inside Kantabanji Sub-Jail today,'' Odisha Police tweeted.

Justice Binoy Krishna Patel, chairperson of OHRC, said in an order, ''Since it is a case of custodial death, considering the gravity of the incident, commission takes cognisance of the matter suo motu.'' ''Issue notice to the Special Director General of Prisons and DCS and Bolangir Superintendent of Police to submit their respective reports to the commission within 15 days of the incident positively,'' it added.

The kidnapping and murder of the 24-year-old woman teacher from Jhari village in Turekela block of Bolangir district in October last year had sent shock-waves across the country, with Opposition having demanded the removal of the then minister of state D S Mishra.

Sahu was allegedly a close associate of Mishra, who was dropped from the Naveen Patnaik cabinet six months later.

The woman teacher was working at a private school in Mahaling in Kalahandi district. Sahu was the managing committee president of the educational institute.

She went missing on October 8 last year and her bones and other body parts were recovered from a pit on the school premises on October 19.

Sahu was subsequently arrested on the charge of killing the woman teacher and chopping her body into pieces, burning it and dumping into the pit. He had also allegedly torched her bag, mobile phone and other belongings to eliminate evidence.

Police probe revealed that the woman teacher had threatened Sahu of exposing his extra-marital affairs, over which he allegedly strangled her to death inside his car on October 8 last year.

Earlier this month, Ranjit Sahu, principal of the institute, and management committee member Kruti Chandan were arrested on the charges of influencing witnesses in the case.

Congress's Kantabanji MLA Santosh Singh Saluja and former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das demanded a CBI probe into the incident.

Senior BJP leader and Kalahandi MP Basanta Panda said Sahu's mysterious death creates suspicion as it took place hours before he was scheduled to be produced before the court.

''There is also a possibility that Sahu might have been killed as part of a big conspiracy to protect high-profile leaders involved in the case,'' he said.

Panda said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should immediately hand over the case to a central agency as the state police cannot be trusted due to the suspected involvement of ruling party leaders.

Odisha BJP Mahila Morcha president Smruti Pattnaik alleged that Sahu was ''murdered as his statement in the court could have exposed some ruling BJD leaders''.

BJD MLA and former minister Amar Prasad Satpathy said law will take its own course.