On their arrival here on Wednesday, National Commission for Women (NCW) members Hemlata Kheria and Manasi Pradhan were accorded guard of honour at the Circuit House, before they moved straight to Tikiri to begin the probe into Itishree Pradhan case.
The NCW members went to Tikiri UP school and thoroughly checked the room where Itishree was doused with kerosene and set ablaze by unidentified assailants on October 27. They searched for some documents but did not find any. The Sub-Divisional Police Officer Y Jagannath Rao said that the room has been sealed after Itishree’s death and the Crime Branch officials have seized all the documents from the room for inquiry purpose.
Kheria and Pradhan also interrogated the cook, students and teachers of the school which lasted for almost three hours. Some family members of Netrananda Dandasena met the NCW inquiry panel too. Then, they went to the police station for verification of records and interaction with the police officials.
Asked about revealing the findings, the members said the inquiry was not yet complete. “We need to go back to Rayagada to have talks with the district Collector and SP. Also a meeting with Chief Secretary and DG of Police is scheduled at Bhubaneswar. Then we can make our findings public after meeting statutory processes,” they said.
“Although the DSWO accompanied the NCW members, other sexual harassment committee members of the district were not consulted during the NCW team’s visit. Not having a member from the State Women’s Commission in their inquiry team may lead to a political bias and prove that such commissions are toothless tigers. This has been reflected in Pipili, Kendrapada and other cases as the decisions and recommendations of these commissions do not become binding on anybody,” said Suresh Mishra, a local youth leader.