Thursday, December 24, 2020

Memo to Chief Minister, Odisha on RTI Activist Ranjan Murder Case

 

OdishaSoochanaAdhikarAbhijan

Plot No-D-27, MaitreeVihar, Post-Rail Vihar, Bhubaneswar-751023

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 To

Shri Naveen Patnaik                                                                                     Date- 14.12.20

Hon’ble Chief Minister, Odisha

Bhubaneswar

 Sub-  Request  for taking  action against   Superintendent  of  Police , Kendrapara  and Atanu SabyasachiNayak, MLA , Mahakalapada  for  their  conspiracy to hush up and manipulate the inquiry into  cold-blooded   murder  of Ranjan Kumar Das, RTI Activist and a Dalit leader  of Kendrapara district  and  order for  Court-monitored   SIT Inquiry/ CBI inquiry. 

 Sir,

We, the  signatories  i.e,  members  of  OdishaSoochanaAdhikarAbhijan( a leading network of RTI Activists  spearheading  campaign for effective implementation of RTI Act , transparency, good governance and  fighting out corruption in the state)  draw   the   attention  of your august office to the  following matter  for  your  necessary direction.

 1.   Ranjan Kumar  Das, who belonged to the Scheduled Caste and was a firebrand  RTI Activist and a Dalit  leader himself fighting for human rights and social justice was murdered and his dead body was  found on 1.2..20 on the roadside of Berhuan village under Marshagahi Police Station area of Kendrapara  district.  It  was  also observed  that his motor-bike showing no damage at all was placed over his upturned upper-body and the grassy spot also didn’t show any visible helter-skelter. Having sensed it  as a cold-blooded murder  orchestrated by a group of miscreants engaged by the vested interests, ShriBalaram Das ,  brother-in-law  of  Ranjan Das   handed  over an FIR  on the spot  to the  Inspector-in-Charge, Marshaghai Police Station  in the present of SP, Kendrapara seeking  for an immediate and proper inquiry  into  murder  of  Ranjan Kumar  Das. The  police  registered it as the case no.  24 of 2020 on the same  day i.e. 1.2.20 and started  investigation.

 2.   Ranjan Kumar Das is  a leading RTI Activist in Kendrapara district. He  had carried out a number  of RTI sensitive programme to  educate  the people  about RTI Act. He  had  personally filed several RTI Applications to different offices  and exposed  corruption  in  construction of RD Road, illegal  construction of  play ground  in his  village,  illegal construction of  OTDC Building  inside Bhirakanika Sanctuary  under Mahakalapada block, illegal prawn cultivation by private  companies, corruption in illegal allotment  of houses  under IAY/ PMAY, Biju Pucca Yojana, Irregularities  in Anganwadi Centres. He  has filed  several  complaints   to State Vigilance, Cuttack and Lokayukta, Odisha.  

 3.   His RTI Activism and constant expose  of  corruption in Marshaghai and Mahakalapada block  of  Kendrapara  district  had  created enmity  with  corruption officials, contractors  and vested  groups of BJD party  functionaries  associated  with Sri Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, MLA. Prior to his murder, Ranjan had been  attacked  and threatened of murder  several times  by  goons , local contractors  associated  with MLA Mr. Nayak.  On 11.12.19.,  Mr. Ranjan Kumar Das had himself lodged an FIR in Patkura PS  alleging mortal threat to his life along with abusing slang against his Scheduled Caste identity hurled by a particular person and his group vide FIR No. 0379 of 2019 under Sections 294/506 of IPC and Sections 3(1)(r), 3(1)(s) and 3(2)(va) of the SC and ST (PoA) Act 1989. Similarly, Ranjan had also filed another complaint in Mahakalapada Police Station on 31.1.20 alleging that  Sri Sanjay Rout, village- Shikar under Mahakalapada PS , in his absence entered  his  house on 27.1.20. and took away hard disk, Rs. 15,000.00 and two important files from his house on the plea  of  repair of CCTV  responding query of  his mother.  The police has not registered the case. On same day, Ranjan Das was murdered  and thrown at roadside of Berhuan village. Had the Police acted upon these FIRs by way of taking action against the culprits and providing necessary security and protection to Ranjan Kumar Das, the ghstly murder of Mr. Das on 0.02.2020 would have been well nigh avoided.

 4.   However, the  family members  of Rajan Kumar  Das  were    neither  appraised  about the progress  of  investigation nor  provided  a copy of Post Mortem Report or Viscera  report. But the real truth surfaced on 10.3.20, the day  of Holy, when one Sri TrilochanBarik, a miscreant of Talasanga  village of Talasanga GP who happens to be BJD party cadre  publicly declared, “We ourselves murdered Ranjan Das  and  will also murder  another two such youthsof our area. The video footage containing his declaration got viral. On 13.3.20, Sri Laxmidhar Das, Father of Ranjan filed an FIR  inPatkura Police Station  against Sri TrilochanBarik and his gang alleging their  involvement  in the murder  of  his  son. But, the  police did not carry out any  inquiry into the matter.

 5.   On 15.3.20 at around 10.15 pm, Sri Bibek Jena  of Manikpur  village along with 5 goons, who are close aides of Sri  Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, local MLA  shouted  in front of Late Ranjan Das’s house    using slang words and casteist aspersions against   his parents . When Bansidhar Das, father  ofRanjan Das  came out from the house, the said Bibek Jena asserted,   We  had  planned to murder your son and succeeded too.” Then, Bibek threatened him, “Withdraw the case immediately, otherwise you will also be murdered”.    On 16.3.2020,SriBansidhar Das  filed an FIR  in Patkura Police Station against Bibek and his group. The police registered the FIR, but no inquiry or follow-up whatsoever  has been conducted so far.

 6.   On a complaint LY Case no. 271/20 filed before the Hon’ble Lokayukta, Odisha seeking for a comprehensive and impartial   inquiry into the murder of  Ranjan Kumar Das, a firebrand RTI and social justice activist. In response to the notice issued by Lokayukta, the ADG, Crime Branch, Cuttack    submitted a report which merely reproduced the inquiry   report submitted earlier by the SP ,Kendrapara that had carried a manufactured  story   portraying Ranjan’s murder  as  a case of accident. 

 7.   From the  day one, the family  members  had been alleging  involvement of police  and their criminal  complicity  with  local goons  and  contractors  in the conspiracy to murder Ranjan Das who  had exposed   corruption and huge misappropriation of fund  development  works by  the  contractors enjoying political patronage  of  Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, local MLA.  That’s why , on 13.5.20, Laxmidhar Das, father  of deceased Ranjan Das  personally  met  ADG, Crime Branch, Cuttack , appraised  him criminal complicity  of local  police  with murderers  and  requested  him  for  Crime branch  inquiry.

 8.   It  is worth  to mention here  that  apprehending  conspiracy  of local police with criminals  for  hushing up inquiry into murder of Ranjan Das,   the opposition parties  BJP and Congress  had  submitted memorandum  to  Director General  of Police   urging him to order  for Crime Branch Inquiry.

 9.   We, the RTI Activists hadsubmitted a memorandum dt.3.8.20  to the ADG, Crime Branch, Cuttack requesting  for inquiry into murder of Ranjan Das. On 9th February20,  fourteen retired  Civil Servants of the country  had written  letter  to  you with reference to murder of Ranjan Das  expressing  their  concern at  number of RTI Activists facing violent threats  and losing  their lives  to violent  and criminal elements  in Odisha and requested  for  taking action against  the criminals  and provide  support and compensation to the family members.

 10.  While going through the report  dt.5.11.20  submitted by Dept. of Home, Govt. of Odisha   in the Lokayukta, Odisha which has been approved by DG Police,  we strongly suspect that the SP, Kendrapara under the pressure of the ruling political lobby and MLA Sri Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak have manipulated the investigation including the post-mortem report so as to hush up the truth of a well-conspired murder of Ranjan Kumar Das. 

 We therefore strongly urge  your good office  to take  the  following steps  in order  to give justice  to  deceased Ranjan Kumar  Das  and his family.

 a.  Order  for court-monitored SIT inquiry / CBI inquiry  enquire  into the angle of complicity of the SP, Kendrapara and MLA Sri AtanuSabyasachiNayak and others  behind the cold-blooded   murder  of  Ranjan Das  and thereby to unravel the actual facts and circumstances, which remain a mystery to this day, that led to  his cold-blooded murder. It  will restore  public faith  on  your  Govt’s approach  to “Zero  tolerance  to Corruption”  and  credibility  of police  inquiry.

 b. Take  action  against  Atun Sabyasachi Nayak , MLA   who  is the man behind  this criminal conspiracy for  murder  of Ranjan Das  and   prevailing upon the police  to manipulate  the inquiry.

 c. Award compensation Rs.  20 lakhs to  the parents of Ranjan Kumar Das. 

 Thanking  You

 Yours  faithfully

Members  of Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhijan 

 

 

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