MBBS student’s suicide abetment case: Cuttack court denies bail to accused OTAS trainee

Cuttack: A Cuttack court has refused to grant bail to a Odisha Tax and Accounts Service (OTAS) trainee, arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of a third-year MBBS student, observing that the investigation is at a crucial stage and his release could hamper the probe.Additional sessions judge-cum-special judge (vigilance) Raj Kishore Mohapatra, while rejecting Bhimsen Prasad Tudu’s bail plea on Wednesday, noted that investigators are still examining the circumstances that allegedly drove the victim to end her life. “Investigation is in its nascent stage. The involvement of the accused petitioner in the alleged commission of crime, in particular the facts leading the deceased to commit suicide, is under scanner of investigation,” the court said in its order.The judge further observed that releasing the accused at this stage could adversely affect the investigation. “Keeping in mind the nature of allegations, if the accused is allowed to be released on bail, he may not cooperate with the investigation and may influence the prosecution witnesses. Taking into account the nature and gravity of the offences and their social impact, I do not think it proper to release the accused on bail,” the order stated.

Tudu was arrested this year on June 13 in connection with the death of Chandrika Hembram, a third-year MBBS student of Fakir Mohan Medical College, Balasore. Her body was found floating in Kathajodi river near Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Bridge under Barang police station limits on June 4. His bail plea was first rejected by the judicial magistrate first class-II, Cuttack, on the day of his arrest.According to the bail order, the case was registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by Chandrika’s mother, Hiramani Hansdah of Mayurbhanj district.

She alleged that Tudu was responsible for her daughter’s death.The complaint stated that Chandrika and Tudu had been in a relationship for nearly 15 years and had planned to marry in Dec 2027. But the relationship started deteriorating when Tudu started seeing another woman. Tudu apparently also subjected Chandrika to mental harassment, which ultimately drove her to take the extreme step, her mother claimed.On June 27, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi had ordered Tudu’s dismissal from govt service following his arrest in the case.