Odisha governor's son accused of beating up govt employee working at Raj Bhavan

Baikunthanath Pradhan, an assistant section officer, has claimed he was assaulted by Lalit Das, son of Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, on the night of July 7.

Published on: Jul 13, 2024, 07:25:17 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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A state government employee working on deputation in Odisha Raj Bhavan has accused the son of governor Raghubar Das of assaulting him during President Droupadi Murmu's visit to Puri last week.

Odisha Governor Rahubar Das (File Photo/HT)

Baikunthanath Pradhan, an assistant section officer of state parliamentary affairs department deputed to the Raj Bhavan, in his complaint to secretary to the governor Saswat Mishra alleged that Lalit Das, the son of Governor Das assaulted, him in Puri Raj Bhavan on the night of July 7 in association with five others, including his personal security officers.

President Droupadi Murmu was in Puri Raj Bhavan between July 7 afternoon to July 8 morning for the Rath Yatra festival. Being the in-Charge of Raj Bhavan, Puri, Pradhan there since July 5 to supervise the preparedness of Raj Bhavan for the visit of President Murmu.

In his complaint to the secretary to the governor, Pradhan alleged that Lalit Kumar attacked him on July 7 night while he was on duty.

"On 7th July night at around 11.45 P.M while I was sitting in the office room, personal cook of Odisha Governor Aakash Singh came to my office and told me that Lalit Kumar wanted to meet him at Suite No-4. When I went there, Lalit Kumar started slapping me and used absusive language. Feeling helpless, I started running out of the room and hid behind the Annexe building. However, the two PSOs of Lalit Kumar found me and dragged me to Room No. 4 through the lift. Security Personnel and others present there have witnessed this incident. They again started slapping, blowing punches on his face, kicking every part of his body and twisted my left ankle,” said Pradhan in his complaint. Pradhan alleged that Lalit Kumar threatened him of murder if he revealed the incident before anyone.

HT has seen a copy of the complaint. However, Pradhan did not speak to HT on his complaint. Secretary to the the governor Saswat Mishra did not respond to messages seeking his comment on the matter.

Though Lalit Das could not be reached, an aide of the governor described the whole event as a conspiracy. “The matter is between the cook of Raj Bhavan and the complainant. There have been several issues in the past regarding him. However, the governor's son is no way involved,” said the aide.

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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