The Zilla Adivasi Mahasangha (ZAM), Rayagada, warned to take to streets and paralyse the entire district if the culprits behind Bhagirathi Mandingi's murder were not nabbed soon.
"Bhagirathi, a well-known tribal leader of Rayagada, was murdered during 2010 by some unknown assailants; but till date the culprits are yet to be identified by the Crime Branch police, which was investigating the case. We have knocked the doors of CM Naveen Patnaik, the then Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, DG of Police, the district administration including Collector and SP, but in vain. We will approach these authorities again. If they do not heed our single-point demand of identifying the murderers of Bhagirathi and taking them to task, we will start agitation," said ZAM president Apalaswamy Kadraka.
Bhagirathi was a Trustee in Maa Majhighariani Temple. It is said that he objected to the huge misappropriation of public donations made to the deity by a few trustees of the temple. He was wiped away by some unknown assailants after he continued to object vehemently the pilferage of the public donations.
District convenor of ZAM Basant Ulaka was anguished over the inaction of Crime Branch police and demanded a CBI inquiry into the murder cade. He appealed to the tribals of the district cutting across party lines to unite over the issue to render justice to the family members of Bhagirathi and the entire tribal fraternity of the district.
Hundreds of representatives of ZAM from various blocks of Rayagada district assembled here for justice to the slain member of the community.