Punjilal Meher Sentenced to Life in 2018 Patnagarh Parcel Bomb

Punjilal Meher Sentenced to Life in 2018 Patnagarh Parcel Bomb

In a landmark judgment, the Additional District and Sessions Court in Bolangir sentenced Punjilal Meher to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹50,000 for orchestrating a deadly parcel bomb attack that claimed two lives in 2018. Meher, a former principal of Jyoti Vikas Junior College in Patnagarh, was found guilty of sending an explosive device disguised as a wedding gift, killing 27-year-old Soumya Sekhar Sahu and his grandmother, Jemamani Sahu. The incident left Soumya’s newlywed wife, Reema Sahu, critically injured just days after their wedding.

The tragedy unfolded on February 23, 2018, when a parcel delivered to the Sahu family residence in Patnagarh turned into a fatal trap.  As Soumya opened the parcel, a powerful bomb exploded. The explosion was so powerful that it cracked the walls of the family’s home, leaving Soumya’s parents, Rabindra and his wife, in a state of profound trauma. The case, often cited as India’s first instance of a parcel bomb being disguised as a wedding gift, sent shockwaves across the country due to its cold-blooded and premeditated nature.

The investigation, initially handled by local police, was soon handed over to Odisha’s Crime Branch due to intense media scrutiny and public outcry. The case was led by Arun Bothra, the then IG, Crime Branch. By April 2018, investigators traced the parcel’s origin to Raipur, Chhattisgarh, where it had been posted. An anonymous letter received by the Balangir police hinted at a motive tied to betrayal and financial loss, possibly linked to a property dispute, but the real breakthrough came in February 2019.

After months of investigation, involving meticulous forensic analysis and call record tracing, the Crime Branch arrested Punjilal Meher, a former principal of Jyoti Vikas Junior College in Patnagarh. The motive, as revealed during the trial, was rooted in professional jealousy and a personal grudge. Meher was reportedly furious after being replaced as principal by Soumya’s mother, a decision that he perceived as a humiliating betrayal. In a chilling act of revenge, Meher allegedly crafted the parcel bomb, travelled to Raipur without his mobile phone or a train ticket to avoid detection, and posted the deadly package, returning the same day.

Arun Bothra, who played a pivotal role in the investigation, testified as the 60th witness in December 2024, providing crucial evidence that established the chain of events leading to the blast.

“This was a crime that shook the collective conscience of society,” the presiding judge remarked while delivering the life sentence. The court emphasised the pre-planned nature of the attack, the loss of two innocent lives, and the irreversible trauma inflicted on Reema, who lost her husband and the joy of her new marriage within days.

For the Sahu family, the verdict is bittersweet. Rabindra Sahu, Soumya’s father and a geology lecturer at Jawaharlal College in Patnagarh, expressed relief but also profound grief. “No punishment can bring back my son or my mother,” he said, his voice heavy with emotion. “But I hope this serves as a lesson that such hatred and jealousy have no place in our society.”