Pandemonium continues in Assembly over Mamita murder case

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Assembly on Thursday witnessed ruckus for eighth day in a row as the Opposition BJP and Congress members disrupted the proceeding demanding sacking of Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra for his alleged links with the prime accused in the Mamita Meher murder case.
As soon as the House assembled for the post-lunch session after a half-day adjournment following obituary references to Chief of the Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 IAF personnel who died in a chopper crash, the Opposition members trooped into the well of the House with placards.
They also resorted to beating gongs and sloganeering demanding removal of D S Mishra, who has been charged by the Opposition with having links with the prime accused in the murder case of Mamita Meher. The 24-year-old teacher of a private school in Kalahandi district went missing on October 8 and her half-burnt decomposed body was exhumed from the playground of the school, where she worked, on October 19. The president of the school’s managing committee is the prime accused in the murder case and he has been arrested.
When Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro allowed Panchayati Raj Minister Pratap Jena to present the demands for grants of the department, Congress whip Taraprasad Bahinipati rushed towards the Minister’s seat and continued to beat gongs. Three BJD members, Rohit Pujari, Bikram Panda and Pranab Balabantaray, stood on both sides of Jena creating a security ring around the Minister while he presented the demands for grant of the Panchayati Raj department.
The Opposition parties are also demanding Jena’s resignation as his name has cropped up in the Mahanga double murder case where two BJP leaders of Salepur area were killed in January this year.
The House was plunged into a chaotic situation after some Opposition members allegedly threw placards towards the Speaker’s podium. Unable to run the proceedings, Patro adjourned the House till Friday. During the melee, the House passed the demand for grants of several departments through the provision of guillotine (without discussion).
The Opposition members have been demanding the arrest and ouster of Dibya Shankar Mishra for his alleged links with the prime accused in Mamita Meher murder case. While the BJP has been demanding CBI probe, the Congress is demanding a court-monitored CBI probe into the incident. The functioning of the Assembly has been paralysed since its commencement on December 1 over Mamita Meher murder case.