Odisha orders CID probe into mysterious death case of IAS officer’s PA

The order came after wife of the deceased filed a complaint case before the court of sub divisional judicial magistrate, alleging there has been no headway in the SIT probe in her husband's murder and the police was interested in a cover-up.

Published on: Jan 29, 2021, 08:29:29 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty | Edited by Abhinav Sahay, Bhubaneswar

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Two months after a murder FIR was lodged against former Malkangiri district collector Manish Agrawal and three others on the direction of a judicial magistrate for alleged involvement in the collector’s personal assistant’s death under mysterious circumstances, Odisha police ordered a CID probe into the case.

The wife says her husband may have been murdered since he learnt about former Malkangiri district collector's alleged involvement in corruption. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

In an order on Thursday evening, Odisha director general of police (DGP) Abhay said the CID-Crime Branch would investigate the case under sections 302, 506, 201,204, 120B and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The order came hours after the wife of the deceased on Thursday filed a case at Malkangiri SDJM court against the district SP, alleging that he and five other police officials were trying to suppress the case.

On December 27, 2019, Debnarayan Panda, personal assistant to Manish Agrawal, former district collector of Malkangiri, had gone missing from his office. Next day, his body was recovered from Satiguda dam in Malkangiri town and his motorcycle and helmet were found lying near the dam. Though police had initially registered a suicide case and later an unnatural death case, Panda’s widow Banaja Panda alleged that he may have been murdered since he came to know about the alleged involvement of the collector and others in corruption.

On Thursday, Banaja Panda moved a separate case before the court of sub divisional judicial magistrate, alleging that there has been no headway in the SIT probe undertaken by SP Rishikesh Dnyandeo Khilari. She also accused the inspector of Malkangiri police station and four other police officials, including an inspector of district intelligence bureau.

"In the last two months, the SIT has done no investigation. We are being forced to accept that my husband's death was a case of suicide. The accused in the case have not been properly questioned. We were also asked to handover all proof against police," alleged the wife of the deceased.

In November last year, Banaja had moved the court of SDJM in Malkangiri, seeking lodging of a case of murder against IAS officer Agrawal and three others.

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

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.