CBI probe ordered into murder of teacher in Orissa

In a major setback to the Orissa government, the Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe into the murder of contractual teacher Itishree Pradhan, asking the CBI to form an investigation team in a week to arrest the main accused. The court asked the CBI to submit a report in two months.

“Inordinate delay in the investigation by the CID was sufficient ground to order a CBI probe into the incident,” said Suresh Tripathy, counsel for the Bangalore-based law student Sudipta Lenka. On October 27, 2013, Itishree Pradhan, a 28-year-old Puri-born teacher working in an upper primary school in Tikiri, Rayagada district, was set on fire while she was sleeping. She succumbed to her injuries at CARE Hospital in Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh after five days.

Months before her death, Itishree had lodged numerous complaints at the local police station about sexual advances by school sub-inspector Netrananda Dandasena. While setting her on fire, the miscreant reportedly told her that she has to pay the price of lodging a case against Dandasena. The CID arrested Dandasena but could not arrest the person who murdered her. In March 2014, disposing a PIL by the Bengalore-based law student seeking a CBI probe, a three-judge bench led by then Chief Justice P Sathasivam ordered that a CBI probe was not necessary as the CID had filed a chargesheet.