Bhubaneswar: Minister of State for Home Captain Dibya Shankar Mishra finally broke his silence on the allegations of his involvement in the murder case of a lady teacher, Mamita Meher.
Denouncing the smear campaign against him by a certain section of media, Mishra today released a statement saying that he would resign from his post, as well as, retire from public life if a small amount of evidence is found against him.
He said, “I am deeply saddened and anguished by the unfortunate death of Ms Mamita Meher. I am a father and I can understand the trauma the family must be going through. My deepest condolences to the family of Mamita Meher. The guilty must be given strictest punishment as per law.”
Mishra went on the say that before joining politics, he worked in the Air Force where he learnt one thing that to sacrifice oneself but to ensure that not one civilian is hurt. “When I joined politics, I brought the same philosophy from my Air Force days. That though I may suffer, not even a single person should suffer. From the time I entered public life, I have focused on the development of my constituency Junagarh in Kalahandi,” he said.
“However, I was shocked by the manner in which certain media have launched a malicious character assassination campaign based on falsehood against me. This has also hurt my family. Therefore, my family has filed criminal and civil defamation case against three media groups, namely ARGUS TV, OTV and ODISHA REPORTER for defaming and character assassination with false, malicious and wild allegations for furthering their narrow personal and political gains,” the Minister added.
Commenting on the campaign by a certain section of media questioning his silence, Minister Dibya Shankar Minister said, “I have always believed that in sensitive heinous offences, law enforcement agencies should act in a free and fair manner so that the accused meet the ends of justice. Hence I always avoided commenting on heinous offences. But I felt the need to give a statement as this smear campaign has been affecting my family.
This malicious smear campaign by these media and opposition political parties marks a new low in the political discourse of Odisha, especially where certain sections of media is being used for narrow political gains at the cost of truth, empathy and sensitivity in heinous offences.”
The Minister reasoned that as an MLA as well as an ex-Air Force officer, he has attended functions at many educational institutions. “In fact, public representatives are supposed to attend functions in educational institutions. Therefore, a crime happening in any one of the institutions that I have visited as a guest for functions cannot be attributed to me,” he said.
Minister Mishra called upon the opposition political parties and media and said that if an iota of evidence is against him in this matter, then they could produce it to Police or Court. “I will not only resign from my position but will also retire from public life but don’t indulge in smear campaigns with personal political agenda,” he stated.
Mishra further requested the said media groups not to use this heinous offence for their personal political agenda but rather live up to the journalistic ethics which is expected of journalists and media houses.
” I had left the high paying job of a Pilot and joined politics to serve the people of Junagarh and Kalahandi. I swear in the name of Maa Manikeswari on whom I as well as people of Kalahandi have deep faith in, that I have nothing to do with this offence,” Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra concluded.
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