The Orissa High Court has granted bail to Pritiman Dey, a friend of the late Chinmayee Priyadarshini Sahu, who was arrested in connection with her death earlier this year.
The court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to establish murder, and that police investigations pointed to suicide by drowning.
Chinmayee, a B.Tech student at Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT), Sambalpur, was found dead in the power channel of the Hirakud Dam on March 1, 2023, a day after attending her convocation ceremony. She had reportedly gone to the dam with a friend and went missing after falling into the channel.
Following the incident, police detained Pritiman Dey and Manas Tudu for questioning. While the post-mortem and diatom tests confirmed drowning, Chinmayee’s family alleged foul play and petitioned the High Court for a reinvestigation.
The court had earlier directed a fresh probe, but after reviewing the findings, it concluded that the evidence did not support a charge of murder. Bail was subsequently granted to Dey.
The case has sparked widespread public interest, raising questions about student safety, mental health, and the handling of sensitive investigations.
