CBI probe sought into death of Odisha forest officer, police probe questioned

Earlier, the Odisha Police had lodged a murder case against Mohapatra’s wife Bidyabharati Panda and his superior officer and Paralakhemundi divisional forest officer (DFO) Sangram Keshari Behera.

Published on: Jul 27, 2021, 17:35:09 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Orissa high court has been petitioned by a non-governmental organisation for a CBI or special investigation team (SIT) probe into the mysterious death of a young forest officer, found charred at his residence. The plea has questioned the police probe which has cleared a superior officer, initially suspected to be involved in the death along with the deceased officer’s wife.

Orissa high court has been petitioned seeking a CBI probe into the death of a forest officer in the state earlier this month. (HT Photo)

Surendra Panigrahi of Bharatiya Bikash Parishad in his PIL filed before the HC demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the death of assistant conservator of forest of Paralakhemundi, Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, who was found with over 95% burn injuries at his government quarter on July 11 and died two days later during treatment at a hospital on July 13. In the PIL, the petitioner has made Odisha chief secretary, state home secretary, director general of police (DGP), Gajapati superintendent of police (SP) and Paralakhemundi police station inspector parties.

Earlier, the Odisha Police had lodged a murder case against Mohapatra’s wife Bidyabharati Panda and his superior officer and Paralakhemundi divisional forest officer (DFO) Sangram Keshari Behera. A case under sections 302 and 120 (b) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered at Paralakhemundi police station. However, Gajapati SP Tapan Kumar Patnaik later ruled out the DFO’s involvement in the death case on the basis of call records analysis and his interrogation.

The PIL came a day after the family members of the deceased officer were given the post mortem report which said his death was due to burn injuries.

The petitioner in his PIL demanded a detailed probe raising doubts over the way the investigation was being conducted by the state police.

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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