NBW against ex-BJD MP, 5 others in tribal murder case

 Koraput: A court in Rayagada district on Tuesday issued non-bailable warrants against six persons, including BJD’s former Rajya Sabha member N Bhaskar Rao, in connection with the 14-year-old murder of a tribal leader. Bhagirathi Mandangi, who was also a member of Maa Majhighariani Temple Trust, was murdered on December 15, 2010. The warrants were issued by the court of Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Barsha Das.

Mandangi’s charred body with hands and legs tied was found floating in a waterbody in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The court issued the warrants after hearing a petition filed by Jagannath Mandangi, the younger brother of the murdered leader.

“The court issued the warrants based on substantial evidence and witness statements,” said the petitioner’s lawyer Samuel Tandi. The case has been filed under IPC sections 302 (murder), 201 (disappearance of evidence) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), he said.

Rao, who was an MP from 2016 to 2022, refused to comment on the matter, stating that he was yet to receive any notice from the court. The Zilla Adivasi Mahasangha, which has been demanding that the case be handed over to the CBI, welcomed the court’s decision.

“For the past 14 years, we have been fighting for justice for Bhagirathi. We are hopeful of finally getting it from the court,” said its coordinator Basant Ulaka. The Mahasangha accused the police of failing to give justice to Mandangi as the accused were affiliated with the then ruling BJD. It had claimed that he was targeted for “exposing irregularities” in the temple trust.