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
