Rayagada, Mar 27: On Saturday, iranian-origin British charity worker named Narges K. Ashtari was acquitted by the Rayagada Additional District Judge (ADJ) court from charges of allegedly killing a tribal child by negligence on duty at the Prishan Foundation in the year 2014, due to lack of sufficient evidences. The court further stated Narges can file a petition seeking compensation from the Odisha government as she had been forced to suffer for the last two years in a false case filed by the district administration. This was informe by Pratap Chandra Das, the counsel for Narges. On the other hand, government pleader, Maheswar Mohapatra said the State would appeal before a higher court against the Rayagada ADJ court verdict after examining the order. He added that the evidences presented in the lower court has not been accepted in the Rayagada ADJ court.
On Nov 3, 2014, Narges, the Iranian woman running Prishan Foundation at Mukundpur under Kolanara block in Rayagada and Raju Gupta, secretary of the foundation, had taken 30 children of the organisation to Jholapala for a picnic. While playing close to Nagabali river, two boys swept away in the water. Though one boy was rescued, another boy named Asim Jilakara got drowned. Following the mishap, Asmi’s father Peter Jilakara, who was working as warden in-charge then, had filed a case in the Rayagada police station against Narges and Raju Gupta holding the duo responsible for their negligence causing the child death. On December 5, 2016, the Rayagada Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court held Narges K. Ashtari as guilty in the criminal case and sentenced her to one-year jail term and imposed Rs 3 lakh fine.
