Bhubaneswar: Ramurty Gomango, former MLA from Gunupur in Rayagada district, passed away on Friday morning at the age of 76.
Gomango breathed his last around 3 am at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. He had been suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes. He was admitted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar two days ago after his health deteriorated and was later shifted to SCB Hospital where he died while undergoing treatment.
Gomango represented Gunupur Assembly constituency twice — once as a Janata Dal candidate from 1990 to 1995 and later as a BJP candidate during the BJD-BJP alliance from 2000 to 2005
It is pertinent to mention that Gomango was convicted in the sensational murder case of his wife, Shashirekha. Her half-burnt body was recovered from the bathroom of their residence. At the time of the incident, Shashirekha was pregnant.
Gomango had claimed that his wife committed suicide and alleged that he was being framed due to political enmity. The case was initially registered as an unnatural death but was later converted into a murder case under IPC Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence).
After a prolonged trial spanning 28 years, involving statements from 11 witnesses and several pieces of circumstantial evidence, the Special Court in Bhubaneswar convicted Gomango on June 27, 2023.
The court found him guilty of murdering his wife and destroying evidence. He was sentenced to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 50,000, with an additional one year of rigorous imprisonment in case of default in payment of the fine.
