Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Orissa High Court decided on Tuesday that there is no need to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the death of a girl student at FM College in Balasore. This is a significant step in the investigation into the incident. During the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) brought in relation to the case, the comment was made. The court expressed satisfaction with the investigation’s progress after reviewing the Crime Branch’s status report. The High Court also sent summons to the Congress and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) during the hearing for allegedly interfering with public life by holding protest strikes after the tragedy.
The Crime Branch keeps on its probe in the interim. In order to obtain further information, police returned to FM College on Tuesday and questioned the personnel and in-charge officials. The crew also analyzed CCTV video from the surrounding regions for hints and took measurements at the location where the man was discovered with serious burn injuries. This comes a day after the investigation team conducted an exhaustive three-hour questioning session with college officials, seeking to recreate the sequence of events leading up to the terrible tragedy.
The court’s refusal to involve an SIT indicates confidence in the current line of investigation, even as the case continues to evoke strong political and public reactions across the state.
