Case filed over disappearance of reports from then Odisha CM Patnaik’s office

One of the reports pertained to the killing of Vishva Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, which triggered the 2008 Kandhamal riots

Published on: Jun 11, 2026, 11:31:42 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Odisha government on Wednesday lodged a case over the disappearance of inquiry reports into the state’s worst communal violence and the death of 24 patients in a fire at Bhubaneswar’s SUM Hospital from the chief minister’s office (CMO) during the last days of the Naveen Patnaik government in 2024.

The case was lodged over the disappearance of inquiry reports from the chief minister’s office during the last days of the Naveen Patnaik government in 2024.

The case related to the Justice AS Naidu Commission and Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Central) or RCD (Central) inquiry reports was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections related to criminal breach of trust, concealment and destruction of documents, and criminal conspiracy against unknown people

Justice Naidu looked into the killing of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his disciples by Maoists in August 2008 in Kandhamal, which triggered Hindu-Christian riots and left 38 people dead. Seven people have been convicted for their role in the riots. The RDC (Central) probed the blaze in the Intensive Care Unit, dialysis, and emergency units at the SUM Hospital in October 2016.

Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s affiliates VHP and Bajrang Dal have demanded the release of the Naidu Commission report since it was submitted in December 2015.

“...the two reports were not returned from the CMO on June 4, 2024, and are presently untraceable. The circumstances surrounding the disappearance of these two reports, particularly when other files forwarded during the same period were returned, create a reasonable suspicion that the reports may have been intentionally removed, retained, concealed, destroyed, or otherwise unlawfully dealt with,” said home department joint secretary Sarat Chandra Marandi in the First Information Report filed in the case.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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