Odisha CID to probe mysterious death of forest official

Earlier, the father of the deceased had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home affairs minister Amit Shah complaining against the tardy pace of investigation by local police.

Published on: Aug 15, 2021, 24:56:05 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A month after the mysterious death of a young forest official of Odisha in his residential quarters in the presence of his wife, the state CID on Saturday formally took over the probe with a 3-member team starting its investigation.

Additional DG of CID, Sanjeeb Panda said the agency has already started its probe under the leadership of a Dy SP and is being assisted by a technical team.

On July 12, assistant conservator of forests of Paralakhemundi in Gajapati district, Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra had sustained 95 per cent burns at his official quarters while he was reportedly burning old newspapers and some papers. His wife Bidya Bharati, who was present in the next room, has been named as one of the accused with the divisional forest officer Sangram Behera. Mohapatra, an Odisha Forest Service officer of 2020 batch, was rushed to MKCG Medical College and hospital in Berhampur town from where he was shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital of Cuttack. He succumbed to his burn injuries on July 13.

Mohapatra’s father Abhiram has accused DFO Sangram Behera and his daughter-in-law Bidya Bharati Panda of having hatched a conspiracy that led to the death of his son. He also alleged that his daughter-in-law and the DFO were in a relationship.

Though the autopsy report of Mohapatra said his death was due to 95% burn injuries, it was not conclusive. The lawyer for Mohapatra’s father alleged that the doctor who conducted the autopsy committed several procedural irregularities and should be brought under probe by CID.

“In cases of alleged homicide, the usual practice is to preserve the viscera for further chemical analysis at the state forensic laboratory. This was not done in the case of Soumya Ranjan’s death. Besides, the forensic doctor in his autopsy report has not indicated the parts of the body that were burnt through a diagram as is the standard practice. This is going to be a major medico-legal hurdle during trial of the case,” said Partha Sarathi Nayak, Mohapatra’s lawyer.

The lawyer said the local police team that probed the case insisted that the ACF’s residence was the crime spot, while there was no trace of fire when his family members visited the house following the incident. It is possible that he was drugged and then burnt to death elsewhere, he alleged.

Earlier, the father of the deceased had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home affairs minister Amit Shah complaining against the tardy pace of investigation by local police. “Paralakhemundi police have been beating around the bush for so many days. An unfair and biased probe which is underway has made the incident murkier. Moreover, the DFO who is also a suspect in the case has not been transferred elsewhere, thereby influencing the probe,” he had complained.

Last month, an NGO had petitioned the Orissa High Court seeking a CBI probe into the death of Mohapatra.

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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