Raja Shree Mohanty after his arrest on Sunday. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Bhubaneswar / Cuttack, March 17: Raja Shree Mohanty, son of former minister Raghunath Mohanty, was arrested today by the Human Rights Protection Cell of the Odisha police on charges of torturing his wife for dowry.

Pressure mounted on the police to arrest the former minister and three of the family members who have been named in the complaint lodged by Mohanty’s 23-year-old daughter-in-law Barsa Sowny Choudhury.

Soon after the arrest of her husband, Barsa said: “The police should arrest the other accused persons involved in the case. All of them are equally responsible for torturing me. They should be arrested immediately.”

In her complaint on March 14, she had accused her husband Raja Shree, father-in-law Raghunath Mohanty and his wife Pritilata, sister-in-law (Raja Shree’s sister) Rupashree and her husband Suvendu Madhual, a paediatric specialist with a government hospital, of harassing her “physically and mentally”.

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and legislator from Basta, Raghunath Mohanty, who resigned soon after his daughter-in-law lodged the complaint, could not be contacted for his comments.

At his official residence, reporters were told that the former minister and his wife were not home. His daughter and son-in-law too were missing from their home in Balasore. The clinic of his son-in-law was found closed.

Additional director general of police B.K. Sharma told reporters: “Based on prima facie evidence, we arrested Raja Shree Mohanty alias Bapi, the prime accused in the case, from near Choudwar early this morning. Bapi will be produced before a Balasore court on Monday.”

On being asked whether the other persons involved in the case would be arrested, Sharma said: “We will take action against those named in the FIR based on the evidence.”

On the basis of allegations, the police have registered a case under sections 498-A (cruelty), 506 (criminal intimidation), 488 (house trespass), 34 (furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act against the four accused.

Soon after accepting Mohanty’s resignation from the council of ministers, chief minister Naveen Patnaik had transferred the case from the local Balasore police to the human rights cell to ensure “smooth and fair investigation”.

However, the Opposition parties have accused the government of trying to shield the former law minister.

They alleged that the government was adopting delayed-tactics to enable the other accused to secure anticipatory bail.

For the arrest of Raghunath Mohanty, who is a legislator, the police will have to take permission from the Speaker of the Odisha Assembly. So far, the police have not approached the Speaker’s office.

Congress leader Bhupinder Singh, who is also the Opposition leader, said: “All those named in the FIR should be arrested without any further delay. Law is the same for all. No mercy should be shown to them.”