Bhubaneswar, Dec. 29: Police have decided to ask the girlfriend of the engineering student, who allegedly shot a controversial sex video, to appear before them as part of the investigation into the death of the 23-year-old.

The video allegedly features mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.

The cops said they had identified the girl and would ask her to depose before the police shortly. "We will interrogate her thoroughly to ascertain whether the sex video has any links with the death of the engineering student," said a senior police official.

On Tuesday, the mother of the deceased demanded that the police interrogate the girl to unveil the truth behind the death. Friends of the deceased too had claimed the sex video had links with their friend's death. Two of the friends had alleged that the girl handed over a mobile phone to the deceased at Shastri Nagar in their presence.

Police commissioner Y.B. Khurania said the police had gone through several angles during the investigation. "A few witnesses are yet to be examined. Any person with any information regarding the incident will be summoned and examined. We are hopeful the investigation will be completed soon," said Khurania.

The Mahila Congress today demonstrated in front of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corportation office demanding Jena's resignation. The women's wing of the Congress joined the Bhubaneswar district committee of the national party which has been demonstrating in front of office of the civic body for the past eight days. The party today threatened to surround all block offices and Naveen Nivas if Jena did not resign immediately.

"Fifteen days have passed since the sex video surfaced but the mayor is still in his post. The investigation cannot be impartial without the mayor's resignation. The chief minister is shielding the mayor," said president of Odisha Pradesh Mahila Congress Sasmita Behera.

Mahima remand

Apprehending breach of law and order, Paradip police have deferred the custodial remand of stevedoring tycoon Mahimananda Mishra and his subordinate Basant Kumar Bal, arrested for orchestrating the October 26 murder of Mahendra Swain, general manager of Seaways Shipping and Logistics Limited.

While Mahima is in jail, his associate Bal is undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital.

"Both of them will be brought under remand either on January 2 or January 3. Though the court has granted remand, we are forced to defer the remand for various reasons including the health of the accused," said inspector in charge of Paradip police station, Sashank Sekhar Nayak.

Security has been tightened in specific pockets of Paradip which housed the offices of Mahima's rival stevedoring agencies and shipping firms.

Armed police deployment has also been clamped at Kujang jail where Mahima is lodged as an undertrial, police sources said.