Deceased Haridaspur Village Level Worker (VLW) Smitarani Biswal was being blackmailed to do unethical acts, alleged her husband Sushil Kumar Biswal on Tuesday.

Sushil, who moved the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) seeking re-investigation of the case by higher authorities, said his wife was being blackmailed by Haridaspur Sarpanch Madhusmita Bhadra and her husband Rupesh Bhadra for doing unethical works in discharge of her official duties.

“A dispute was on between my wife and them over PMAY and old age pension issues. The Jajpur police only probed into the personal life of my wife but excluded her professional life from the purview of the investigation. She used to tell me about her problems in her professional life,” said Sushil, adding that he was “not satisfied” with the investigation by police.

“I suspect that my wife might have been killed for refusing to do unethical acts,” he said.

Sushil met the Chairperson of the OHRC and sought action against the Jajpur Superintendent of Police, alleging that the police official defamed his family by saying that she had an illicit affair with accused Rupesh Bhadra, who has been arrested.

Notably, Smitarani had gone to Haridaspur panchayat to disburse old age pension among the beneficiaries on October 16. Later, she went to a guesthouse of Rupesh Bhadra in the Baligari area in his car. She was then found dead in Rupesh’s personal room in the guesthouse. Police have arrested Rupesh on the charge of abetting Smitarani’s “suicide”.