Former Orissa law minister Raghunath Mohanty and his wife Pritilata Mohanty, who face dowry torture charge levelled against them by their daughter-in-law Barsha Showny Mohanty, were on Saturday arrested from Shalimar area in West Bengal’s Howrah district.
The couple was arrested by a special team of Human Rights Protection Cell (HRPC) of the Orissa police led by additional director general (ADG) Bijay Kumar Sharma.
Soon after the arrest, the couple was brought to Balasore, their home district, and interrogated at the Marine police station. Later, they were produced in the local sub-divisional judicial magistrate court.
In her FIR filed in the Balasore town police station on March 14, Barsha alleged that she was tortured physically and mentally by her husband Raja Shree Mohanty, father-in-law, mother-in-law, sister-in-law Rupashree Mohanty and brother-in-law Dr Suvendu Madhual who asked for Rs 25 lakh more dowry and a Mahindra Scorpio vehicle.
Barsha, a B. Tech engineer and former Miss Balasore crown winner, also accused her husband of having extra-marital affairs with at least four women.
On March 17, Barsha’s husband Raja Shree was arrested in Cuttack by an HRPC team and he is currently in jail following rejection of his bail petitions.
The HRPC team, meanwhile, has intensified its search to arrest Rupashree Mohanty and her husband Dr Suvendu Madhual.
Reacting to the arrest of her parents-in-law, Barsha said, “Though late, the police has arrested my father-in-law and mother-in-law. Now, it gives me a feeling that the law has finally prevailed. I expect my sister-in-law Rupashree, who tortured me the most, and her husband Dr Suvendu Madhual would be taken into custody.”
On March 15, Raghunath Mohanty, who is also the BJD vice president, had resigned from the state council of ministers after the police registered a case against him under Sections 498 (A), 506, 448 and 34 of Indian Penal Code and 4 Dowry Prohibition Act.
Although a few senior leaders of the ruling BJD tried to protect Mohanty, they later distanced themselves from him following mounting pressures from the Opposition Congress and the BJP. The two Opposition parties stalled the Assembly for two days seeking arrest of the former minister.
On Saturday, senior BJD leader and state panchayati raj minister Kalpataru Das said the former minister should resign from his present party position.
“In the greater interest of the party, I hope Mr Mohanty should relinquish his party position,” said Mr Das.
Government deputy chief whip and BJD youth wing president Sanjaya Das Burma said the arrest of the former minister and his wife proved chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s firm resolve to enforce the rule of law.
“The Orissa chief minister never spares anybody when it comes to enforcing the rule of law. He has once again proved it. The Opposition parties, which were accusing the chief minister of working in partisan manner, will have to keep mum now,” said Mr Burma.