The Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhijan (OSAA) on Tuesday demanded a CBI probe into the arbitrary closure of the State Institute of Educational Technology (SIET) and alleged that School and Mass Education (S&ME) Department has caused its closing only to suppress the corruption and irregularities committed by its officials.

“The School and Mass Education Department is completely responsible for the illegal closure of the SIET. The department basing on a letter of the Union Government of 2004 has closed the institute while the same department had sent an 11-page white paper to the Centre for its renovation in 2011,” Abhijan convenor Pradip Pradhan told mediapersons here.

Pradhan said, “While the State Government sent a proposal for renovation of the SIET as per the request of the Centre then why it closed the institute basing on a letter of the Union Government issued in 2004. It completely exposes the bad intention of the School and Mass Education Department as some corrupt officials have looted crores of rupees meant for the SIET.”

With an aim to spread education awareness using technology, the institute had been started in 1986. The Central Government had set up its own studio, editing room and lecturer hall and purchased machinery worth crores of rupees.

Initially, entertainment programmes produced by the SIET were being broadcast through All India Radio and Doordarshan. Transparency International member Biswajit Mohanty, rights activist Pradipta Nayak and Odisha Yuva Manch convenor Rohan Mohanty were also present at the Press meet.