Bhubaneswar, Nov 12 A court in Rayagada district on Tuesday issued non-bailable warrants(NBWs) against six persons including senior Biju Janata Dal leader and former Rajya Sabha MP N. Bhaskar Rao in connection with the sensational murder case of tribal leader Bhagirathi Mandangi.
“The court on Monday issued NBW against former Rajya Sabha MP N. Bhaskar Rao, K. N. Adinarayanan, K. Krishna Rao, Y. A. Venkateshwar Rao, P. Dillip Kumar and Ippili Sanyasi Rao due to the presence of sufficient evidence against them. Everyone knew that the accused had committed the murder but they suppressed the matter for around 15 years by wielding their power. Justice delayed but not denied,” said Mandangi’s lawyer Samuel Tandi.
The Rayagada district Adivasi Mahasangha also expressed pleasure over the issuance of NBW against the ex-MP and five others in the matter.
“The district Adivasi Mahasangha has been fighting to get justice in the Bhagirathi Mandangi case for the last 15 years. This notice also exposed how Mandangi was brutally killed by a group led by the then ruling party MP N Bhaskar Rao. The government didn’t take any action in this regard. So, the Mahasangha approached the court that issued NBW against six people in this case. It is a victory for the Adivasi Mahasangha. We hope the deceased’s family gets justice in the case,” said Basanta Ulaka, BJP leader and the convenor of District Adivasi Mahasangha.
Another tribal leader alleged that Mandangi’s family had in the past approached the high court and Supreme Court in the matter but failed to get justice. Police later also closed the case due to pressure.
Sources claimed that the deceased Bhagirathi Mandangi, a trustee of the Maa Majhighariani Temple Trust in Rayagada, had allegedly picked a fight with the accused persons over a tender fixing. Meanwhile, Mandangi who had gone to the temple for evening Arati on December 15, 2010, went missing. His charred body with hands and legs tied was found floating in a dam in Andhra Pradesh a few days later.
Alleging police apathy, the tribals had observed Rayagada Bandha several times in the past seeking justice for the deceased’s family. In April 2011, former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ordered a crime branch inquiry into the murder case, but to no avail.
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