Balangir: Punjilal Meher, the alleged mastermind behind the Patnagarh parcel bomb blast Tuesday appeared for the first paper of the second semester exam of Master of Journalism and Mass Communication (MJMC) at the Balangir District Jail.
“Punjilal Meher will be appearing for the first paper exam of the second semester of Master of Journalism and Mass Communication (MJMC) today. The exam is scheduled from 2.00 PM to 5.00 PM,” informed S Denim Kumar, Prison Welfare Officer, Balangir.
Kumar said that today a total of five inmates of this jail including both convicts and under trial prisoners and had taken admissions in various courses like MJMC, BA (OD), BBA, etc. under Odisha State Open University (OSOU) will be appearing at their exams from 2.00 PM to 5.00 PM.
The exams will be conducted in the presence of an invigilator from Rajendra University will come here with Question Papers and Answer Sheets for the examinees, Kumar added.
Meher, an English lecturer at Jyoti Vikas College in Patnagarh, is accused of orchestrating a sinister plot involving a parcel bomb aimed at the residence of Sanjukta Sahu, the college’s principal.
The tragic incident unfolded on February 23, 2018, when Meher purportedly dispatched a parcel bomb concealed within an innocuous gift package. The package was sent from Raipur, Chhattisgarh, to Sanjukta Sahu’s home, timed to coincide with the wedding celebration of her son, Soumya Sekhar.
Both Soumya and Sanjukta’s mother-in-law, Jemamani were killed in the explosion, while Soumya’s newlywed wife, Rimarani, sustained severe injuries.
The Odisha High Court on July 2022 denied Meher’s bail request. A division bench issued directives to expedite the case’s proceedings, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive list of witnesses to be presented in the lower court.
