Naveen Patnaik expresses anguish over gruesome murder of woman constable

Bhubaneswar, Sep 18 (IANS) Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday expressed deep anguish over the tragic death of 25-year-old woman traffic constable Subhamitra Sahoo, who went missing from Bhubaneswar on 6 September and was found murdered ten days later.

In a post on X , Patnaik said the incident had left him "deeply shocked and pained," and raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of the police and Home Department in handling such critical cases.

“A young woman constable serving under the Commissionerate Police goes missing from the state capital, and her body is found ten days later. This is heartbreaking and disturbing. I am deeply saddened by Subhamitra’s death. It raises serious questions about the functioning and capability of the police,” Patnaik wrote.

He further stated that if the police cannot trace their own personnel for ten days, it is difficult to imagine the condition of common citizens in this condition.

He also referred to media reports indicating that the victim’s father had named the suspect early in the case, yet the investigation failed to act decisively, eventually leading to a tragic end.

Patnaik also connected the incident to a wider pattern of crimes against women in Odisha, recalling past cases such as the gang rapes at Gopalpur and Baliharchandi, and warned that without urgent reforms in the working style of home department and the state police force, more such incidents could occur.

“The Home Department must immediately wake up from its slumber. Without accountability and reform, more families will continue to lose their daughters. Women’s safety cannot be compromised,” he added in his post.

Notably, Subhamitra’s husband and a fellow constable, Deepak Kumar Rout strangulated her on September 6 due to disputes over financial matters, including Subhamitra’s demand for Rs 20,00,000 to conduct their marriage ceremony as per Vedic rituals. He later buried her body in a Jungle near Ghatagaon area of Keonjhar district.

--IANS

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