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Biranchi case: HC moved for CBI probe

CUTTACK: Amid allegations coming thick and fast over officer-criminal nexus, an application was filed in Orissa High Court on Tuesday seeking a CBI probe into judo coach Biranchi Das murder case.

The petitioner Manas Ranjan Sahu, who had last week filed a PIL seeking directions to arrest senior IAS officer Priyabrat Patnaik for latter’s alleged link in the sensational case, has once again moved the court through a miscellaneous case. This time the petitioner seeks a CBI probe into the case, in view of the allegations now made that some senior police officials had links with the gangster Raja Acharya, the prime suspect in the murder case.

Earlier, basing on the statements made by Chagala—the other co-accused in the case—the petitioner had moved the PIL. Chagala, who was arrested from Bhopal after he had surrendered, had told the police that he along with Raja had killed the judo coach after meeting the senior IAS officer on April 13. The HC however, has not taken any cognizance of the miscellaneous case or the PIL that was filed on April 29 yet.

The petitioner had maintained that the statements of a co-accused could be taken as prima facie evidence and on the basis of those statements that were also confirmed in the lie detection test; the IAS officer should be arrested. Petitioner advocate Arun Kumar Budhia said he has a merit in the case and was hopeful that the court would take cognizance of the PIL as well as the miscellaneous case soon.

It may be also recalled here that the senior NCP leader Anadi Sahu, a former IPS officer had also demanded that the high-profile murder case of Biranchi Das should be handed over to the CBI for proper investigation, as several influential persons are now believed to be behind it.

“The case needs to be probed by the CBI as the State police is shackled by the ubiquitous presence of top bureaucrats behind the scene”, Sahu reiterated.

He also demanded that the CBI should also be asked to probe into the alleged misappropriation of Budhia Singh Trust fund that was raised by the slain judo coach Biranchi Das for the child marathoner.

Our Staff Reporter reports from Bhubaneswar

Meanwhile, reacting to a query on a newspaper report which quoted the gangster alleging that commissioner of police was present at a meeting attended by a few “conspirators” a few weeks before the murder, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik hinted that the matter would come under the purview of Lokpal probe into the alleged officer-criminal nexus.

However, Mr. Behera termed the allegations baseless saying that he had never met the gangster. The Commissioner of Police further told reporters that he had not even met Biranchi Das before his death.

In Goa, the special squad led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Suresh Mohapatra obtained five days transit remand for the gangster to bring him to Bhubaneswar. They were expected to arrive here on Wednesday.

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