CID team visits Rayagada hotel where 2 Russian nationals died
Bhubaneswar, Dec 30: A team of the CID of Odisha Police accompanied by forensic experts on Friday visited the hotel in Odisha's Rayagada district where two Russian nationals died under mysterious circumstances, an official said.
The CID is probing the mysterious death of Russian nationals - Vladimir Bidenov (61) and Pavel Antov (65), a lawmaker in that country. While Bidenov's body was found in the hotel room at Rayagada on December 22, Antov died on December 24 after a fall from the third floor of the hotel building.
Bidenov's post-mortem said that he died due to heart attack after consuming liquor while Antov's death was attributed to "accidental" fall from a height.
The CID visited the hotel at Rayagada along with SFSL (state forensic science laboratory) team and inspected the place where the body of Antov was found lying. The team inspected the entire area thoroughly with the assistance of scientific team and photo bureau, the official said.
The team detailed the spot map indicating all relevant references of the spot, the official said, adding that one pair of slippers said to be of deceased Antov, was collected from the spot.
The investigating team assisted by the scientific team also searched for evidence in the hotel room where Bidenov and Antov were staying on December 21. It also collected all the evidence including slippers, latent fingerprints from glass and other surfaces, the official said, adding that the sleuths also searched thoroughly for evidence in another room where Antov was stayed alone from December 22 night after death of Bidenov.
The team collected drinking glass and water bottles from Antov's room. "The chance fingerprint found on drinking glass where properly gathered and photographed for further action," an agency statement said.
The CID team also talked to police officers of Rayagada Police Station where the cases were registered in connection with the deaths of two Russian nationals. The local police was investigating into the matter before the CID took up the probe.
Meanwhile, two other Russian nationals and fellow travellers of Antov and Bidenov, identified as Pansasenko Natalia (44) and Turov Mikhail (64), were on Friday further examined at the CID headquarters at Cuttack. "Their statements were video recorded through an interpreter," an official said.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov in a twitter post said that there was no wrong done in performing the last rites of the deceased duo. The controversy came to light after some people raised question on cremation of the two Russian Christians instead of being buried.
Alipov has also said that he is happy with the investigation launched by the Indian police, clarifying as per the Russian traditions, a body can be buried or consigned to flames.
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Sexual abuse case: Group of writers, academics write to CM Siddaramaiah demanding action
Bengaluru, May 15: A group of litterateurs and academics of Karnataka have written to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah demanding the immediate arrest of Hassan JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing charges of sexually abusing several women but has gone abroad, "absconding" from the law.
The state government has constituted a Special Investigation Team headed by Additional Director General of Police B K Singh to probe multiple instances of sexual abuse and related cases involving Prajwal Revanna, and the Interpol has issued a Blue Corner Notice against the Hassan MP, who reportedly left the country on April 27.
Prajwal is the son of MLA and former Minister H D Revanna, who too has been accused in a case of molestation and another case of abduction, and grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda.
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Condemning the alleged sexual abuse of women by Prajwal, as many as 107 intellectuals comprising litterateurs, academics, playwrights, singers and social activists have written to Siddaramaiah demanding his immediate arrest.
In their letter, they said the incident shows the feudal mindset of a powerful family, whose members hold key positions in Parliament, the legislative assembly, the legislative council, panchayats and municipal bodies.
They said it is a big crime that the victims of sexual exploitation were allegedly threatened and kidnapped in order to "cover up a crime which has been happening for many years."
The group highlighted the threat to the lives of the victims and the trauma their families are going through after the scandal broke out.
They said that some women after suffering ignominy attempted suicide while many stigmatised families migrated from Hassan.
The group said a fearless atmosphere should be created for victims to come forward and lodge complaints. They also sought a brake on trading of charges by political parties, and the completion of the SIT probe within a time-frame.
Reacting to the letter, state Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara said the government would take it seriously.
“We will take their letter seriously because they are the ones who have concern for the society. They take note of the issues around them,” he said.
