Itishree Murder Case

The murder of Itishree Pradhan, a non-formal teacher in the remote village of Tikiri under the Kashipur Block in Rayagada district in the Indian state of Odisha generated nationwide uproar.[1] It remains one of the rare cases where the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was unable to trace the primary assailant.[2][3][4] Although opposition politicians from national parties, such as the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, alleged political involvement by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), no political parties were proven to be involved.

Background

According to the criminal case records (C.T. No. 48 of 2014, Itishree Pradhan, a contracted government teacher at the Project U.P. School in Tikiri, was harassed by Netrananda Dandosena, the Sub-Inspector of Schools for the Kashipur Block and former school headmaster. Pradhan filed written complaints against Dandosena and his family members; however, no immediate action was taken. Despite her appeals to various administrative bodies and organizations, the harassment continued as Dandosena pressured her to withdraw the complaints.

On October 27, 2013, an unidentified individual entered Pradhan's room, demanding she drop the cases. When she refused, the assailant poured kerosene over her and lit her on fire. Pradhan suffered severe burns and was taken to the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Tikiri, where the medical officer administered preliminary treatment and recorded her dying declaration. She was subsequently transferred to the District Headquarters Hospital, and later to Seven Hills Hospital in Visakhapatnam, where she succumbed to her injuries on November 1. A second dying declaration was recorded by the Tahasildar-cum-Executive Magistrate of Rayagada during her treatment.

Investigation

Following widespread media coverage, the local administration faced significant public criticism for its perceived inaction. In response, the state government directed the Crime Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID-CB) to investigate the matter. Netrananda Dandosena was subsequently charged and stood trial. Following a public interest litigation filed by law graduate Sudeepta Lenka, the Supreme Court of India ordered a further investigation by the CBI to identify and apprehend the unknown assailant.[5][6][7]

Judgment

On April 26, 2016, the trial judge found Dandosena guilty of criminal conspiracy to commit murder. The court noted that the convict deserved exemplary punishment to serve as a deterrent against similar conspiracies, and sentenced him to life imprisonment.[8][9]

References

  1. ↑ "Itishree murder case: NHRC seeks report on probe". The Hindu. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  2. ↑ "CBI grills ex-Headmaster in Itishree murder case". orissadiary.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  3. ↑ "Itishree murder: CBI announces cash reward for info". odishasuntimes.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "SC orders CBI Probe into Itishree Murder Case". www.odishanewsinsight.com. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  5. ↑ "CBI to investigate Itishree case: SC". www.telegraphindia.com/. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  6. ↑ "Judgment". judis.nic.in. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  7. ↑ "Itishree Murder Case". Pragativadi News Service. June 6, 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  8. ↑ "Itishree Pradhan Murder: School Inspector Sentenced to Life by Rayagada Court". www.newindianexpress.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "Judgment in C.T.48 of 2014". ecourts.gov.in. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.