Itishree’s bereaved family has alleged that Koraput BJD MP Jayram Pangi had exerted pressure on the police and administration not to take action against the accused, Netrananda Dandasena, who was torturing the Shiksha Sahayak.
Itishree’s elder sister said Dandasena was the relative of Pangi, for which action could not be taken against him.On the other hand, Pangi rubbished the allegation and said he was ready to face any probe. “A few leaders from my party have hatched a conspiracy to defame me,” he said.
Sources said Dandasena was the former headmaster of the UP school where Itishree was a teacher. He had engaged his daughter Prabhasini Dandasena as an additional teacher in the same school. But when his daughter gave corporal punishment to the students, headmaster of the school Chandra Sekhar Panda wrote to the higher authorities for transfer of Pabhasini.
Dandasena, who got promoted as School Inspector after allegedly influencing the higher authorities, reprimanded Panda over phone on March 5 evening for complaining against his daughter. “After 35 minutes, Pangi also called Panda and threatened him,” sources alleged.
On March 8 this year, Panda had lodged a complaint against Dandasena with the local police after informing the district Collector and SP. After Panda’s complaint, Dandasena’s wife and daughter had also lodged a complaint against Panda. later, the matter was solved at the police station, but Panda and Itishree became the target of Dandasena, sources said.
After that, Dandasena started harassing Itishree in various ways, sources said, adding which became intolerable for her. Itishree had lodged two complaints with Tikiri police on July 18 and August 16 respectively in this regard. When the police did not take any action against Dandasena, she also wrote letters to the district Collector, SP and District Sexual Harassment Committee along with DG of police and Chief Minister on August 24, but in vain.
After this, at the behest of the Collector, District Social Welfare Officer Sanghamitra Kanungo and another member Dr Narmada Patra visited the school to investigate the case. After the probe, they submitted had recommended disciplinary action against the then SI and shifting of Itishree to another school. But unfortunately, the recommendations were not implemented.
It is suspected that due to Pangi’s pressure, the police didn’t act against Dandasena. Involvement of other leaders in this case cannot be ruled out, the sources said.