Officials of the Human Rights Protection Cell interrogate Barsa (middle) at the house of KK Choudhary on Saturday. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar/Balasore, March 16: A five-member team of the state police’s Human Rights Protection Cell today started investigating the dowry torture case against BJD leader and former minister Raghunath Mohanty and his family members.

Mohanty’s daughter-in-law Barsa Swony Choudhary filed the case on Thursday with Balasore police.

The team, headed by a deputy superintendent of police, visited the complainant’s parental residence and recorded her statements and those of her parents.

Barsa said: “I have co-operated with the team. My husband’s family has tortured me since the beginning of my marriage. I want justice and the police should immediately arrest them.”

Following registration of the complaint at Balasore Town police station, Mohanty tendered his resignation yesterday.

Barsa, a BTech graduate, had named her husband, Raja Shree Mohanty, 28, also a tech graduate, and other members of his family, including his father Raghunath Mohanty, mother Pritilata, sister Rupashree Madhual and her husband Dr Suvendu Madhual (a paediatric specialist) in her complaint.

Barsa’s father Kishor Choudhary said: “We are satisfied with the district police action. We had apprehensions that the rights cell’s probe would delay the investigation. Therefore, we had initially decided not to co-operate with them. But since we want justice by all means, we co-operated with the cell.”

The rights cell’s deputy superintendent of police Subal Kar, who headed the team, said: “We have begun our work since morning. We recorded the statements of the victim as well as her parents and relatives one by one. We are going through the case minutely. The family members are co-operating with us.”

In another development, four teams have been constituted to arrest the accused, particularly Raja Shree. Though Raja Shree has approached Orissa High Court for an anticipatory bail, it is yet to be moved.

“No one is above the law. Action will be taken according to the law and the accused’s arrest cannot be ruled out,” said a senior police official. Sources said chief minister’s office had also given a go ahead to the police to act according to the law.

The Opposition today stepped up pressure, demanding that all the accused involved in the case should be immediately arrested. The Assembly witnessed a pandemonium for the second consecutive day and could transact business for only 17 minutes.

Senior Congress leader Narasingh Mishra said: “An impartial investigation should be ordered into this issue. Those involved in the case should be booked immediately.”

Stating that the torture against women had become rampant during last year, Mishra said: “Law and order have collapsed in the state. Even rape cases have gone up compared to other states.”

On the other hand, the BJD leaders refuted the allegations.

“Women are safe and protected in the state under Naveen Patnaik’s regime. To ensure a free and fair investigation, the case has been handed over to the rights cell,” said parliamentary affairs minister Kalpataru Das.