Dharmasala: A probe has been initiated to find out the circumstances under which a woman panchayat executive officer (PEO) of Haridaspur under this block in Jajpur district was found dead at the guesthouse of the local sarpanch, the police said.
The father of the deceased has filed a complaint with the police over the death of his daughter alleging foul play.
The PEO of Haridaspur gram panchayat, Smitarani Biswal, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at first floor of the guesthouse owned by Rupesh Bhadra, husband of Haridaspur sarpanch Madhusmita Bhadra.
Police detained Rupesh and four others and questioned them in this connection. A forensic team was also pressed into service. Biswal, 31, a resident of Bhubanpur village in the district, had gone to Haridaspur to disburse old age pension and allowances to the beneficiaries, the police said.
After disbursing pension in Bhadanga, Biswal had gone to the guesthouse to have lunch.
Alleging that the VLW had committed suicide, Rupesh had mentioned that Biswal had gone to the first floor to freshen up after reaching the premises.
The body was found hanging from the ceiling fan with a ‘dupatta’ tied around her neck, Rupesh had said.
On being informed about the incident, police rushed to the spot and sent the body for post-mortem.
The PEO hailing from Choramuhan was married to Sushil Kumar Biswal in Bhubanpur village under Jenapur police limits eight years back. She is survived by a seven-year-old daughter.
“Investigation is in progress and a clear picture will emerge after the post-mortem report is available,” IIC of Dharmasala police station, Saroj Kumar Sahoo said.
Some people are being questioned in connection with the incident, he said.
A delegation of BJP Mahila Morcha led by its block president Monalisha Dash and of Congress led by Kishan Panda demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident.
PNN