Bhubaneswar
The Commissionerate Police in Bhubaneswar on Thursday issued a notice to retired IAS officer Upendra Nath Behera, directing him to appear before investigators in connection with the alleged disappearance of two high-profile inquiry reports from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) during the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government.
The notice was issued a day after former top bureaucrat and Naveen Patnaik’s close aide V.K. Pandian was served a similar notice in the case. The investigation stems from case number 460/26 registered at Capital Police Station following a complaint by a senior Home Department official regarding missing files from the CMO.
According to the police, the missing documents include the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission report on the 2008 killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others at Jaleshpeta Ashram in Kandhamal district, as well as the Revenue Divisional Commissioner’s inquiry report into the 2016 fire tragedy at IMS & SUM Hospital and Medical College in Bhubaneswar.
Investigators stated that Behera appeared to be acquainted with facts and circumstances relevant to the case. He has been asked to appear before the ACP, Zone I, Bhubaneswar, on July 26 at 11 a.m. and bring any documents, records, electronic devices or other materials relevant to the investigation.
The police also issued a fresh notice to retired IAS officer Rajesh Verma, asking him to appear on July 30 after he failed to comply with an earlier summons. Former Odisha IT Secretary Manoj Kumar Mishra has already appeared before investigators and recorded his statement.
