Why
Do we Demand CBI inquiry into Murder of Ranjan Kumar Das,
RTI Activist and Dalit Leader in Odisha ?
Ranjan
Kumar Das is not an ordinary but
extraordinary RTI Activist and anti-corruption crusader in Kendrapara
district of Odisha. He belonged
to the Scheduled Caste and was a firebrand
RTI Activist fighting for human rights and social justice. He started his career
as RTI Activist being member of
Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhijan in 2016.
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, BijuPuccaYojana,
Irregularities in Anganwadi Centres.
He has filed several
complaints to State Vigilance,
Cuttack and Lokayukta, Odisha.
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.
Ranjan 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,
Shri Balaram Das ,
brother-in-law
of
Ranjan Das
handed
over an FIR
on the spot
to the
Inspector-in-Charge, Marshaghai Police Station
in the presence
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.
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.
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
AtanuSabyasachiNayak, local MLA
shouted in front of Late
RanjanDas’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.
On a
complaint LY Case no. 271/20 filed before the Hon’bleLokayukta, 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.
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.
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.
RTI Activists had also submitted 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.
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,
the RTI Activists and members of Odisha
Soochana Adhikar Abhijan observe that despite
several persuasion and plethora
of requests made by family members and
OSAA for effective
investigation into murder of Ranjan Das
and nab culprits, the District police not only turned
their deaf ear
but hushed up inquiry at the
instance of the BJD goons and
their mentor Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak.
Even the state
police administration did not accept
our request for crime branch
inquiry. The silence of DG
police motivated SO, Kendrapara to cover up
the inquiry and close the case. We
have lost our minimum trust
on Odisha Police
to get justice .
Keeping it in view,
we strongly feel that
Ranjan murder case must
be handed over to CBI for
inquiry in order to provide justice to the
family .
Pradip Pradhan
M-9937843482
Date-14.12.20
