By Our Correspondent in Bhubaneswar, February 9, 2015 :

Krupasindhu Sahoo

The Odisha government on Monday announced Crime Branch probe into the murder of Krupasindhu Sahoo, a Right to Information (RTI) activist early this month.

Parliamentary affairs minister Bikram Keshari Arukh announced the government decision while making a statement in the Assembly on actions taken so far by the state government in the murder case.

“The police have so far arrested four accused. The key accused Krutibas Pani, who is a history-sheeter and was recently released from jail after serving a prison term, is absconding. He will soon be arrested,” the minister said.

The minister dismissed the opposition Congress and BJP charge that the ruling BJD leaders were involved in the crime.

The Congress and BJP leaders had alleged that the ruling BJD leaders of Niali assembly segment targeted Krupasindhu Sahoo, a farmer, after he sought information on money spent on funds utilised for agriculture activity in the area.

Krupasindhu, a resident of Nachhigan village under Niali police station in Cuttack district, was allegedly bumped off for exposing large scale corruption in the implementation of the agriculture scheme – Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI) – in the area.

On Saturday, the opposition members had stalled the Assembly demanding a reply from the chief minister Naveen Patnaik on the action taken in case.

The body of the victim was found on January 31 buried under a bridge on the banks of Taanla River, five days after he went missing.

The Congress has announced to gherao the Assembly on February 18 if the killers of Krupasindhu were not arrested before that date.

A four- member Fact-finding team comprising of human right activists had alleged that a nexus of government officials, local police and powerful politician masterminded murder of Krupasindhu through a Supari-killer.

The report pointed out that through RTI, Krupasindhu had succeeded in exposing huge corruption and misappropriation of fund in BGREI Fund sanctioned for development of agriculture in the area. “The whole fund has been misappropriated by the local powerful member of Biju Janata Dal by producing false report in connivance of a non-government organization NGO.