Bhubaneswar, Jul 23 (PTI) Odisha Police on Thursday issued a notice to former IAS officer UN Behera, asking him to appear before investigators on July 26 in connection with the probe into the alleged disappearance of two inquiry commission reports from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) during the previous BJD government, officials said.
Behera, a 1983-batch IAS officer, was serving as Additional Chief Secretary to then Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik before moving on in January 2017.
“From information collected during the course of investigation, it appears that you may be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the said case,” the notice issued to Behera said.
Police also issued a second notice to former IAS officer Rajesh Verma, who had served as principal secretary to Patnaik, asking him to appear before the investigating officer on July 30.
Verma was earlier asked to appear on July 22 but did not turn up.
Both Behera and Verma have been asked to appear before investigating officer Bipin Behari Hota of Capital Police Station at the office of the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Zone-I, in Bhubaneswar.
The development came a day after police issued a notice to former IAS officer and BJD leader VK Pandian, who had served as private secretary to Patnaik, asking him to appear before investigators on July 25.
Police said Pandian might have information related to the case and requested him to cooperate with the investigation.
Former IT Secretary Manoj Mishra has already been examined by police after appearing before investigators on July 18.
The case was registered after Sarat Chandra Marandi, Joint Secretary in the Home Department, filed an FIR at Capital Police Station on June 10, alleging that two inquiry commission reports had gone missing from the CMO.
The missing documents include the Justice AS Naidu Commission report on the 2008 Kandhamal communal riots following the murder of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) inquiry report into the 2016 Sum Hospital fire incident.
The FIR was filed after the BJP formed the government in Odisha following the 2024 Assembly elections.
Marandi said the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the reports raised suspicion that the documents may have been intentionally removed, retained, concealed, destroyed or otherwise unlawfully dealt with.
He said the disappearance of the reports from official custody was a matter of serious public concern requiring a thorough investigation.
Sources said police have so far recorded statements of six officers who worked in the CMO between 2016 and 2024.
The notice to Pandian triggered a political row with BJD leaders alleging that the BJP government was trying to divert attention from issues such as the fertiliser shortage, alleged Rath Yatra mismanagement and rising crimes.
“There is a conspiracy behind filing a missing case. What the BJP government has been doing for the last two years? They issued notice to Pandian after Naveen Patnaik demanded Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation,” former BJD MLA Sambit Routray said.
Senior BJD leader and Opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik said, “The file or reports have not gone missing as claimed by the BJP government. They have suppressed files to frame the BJD.” Asked about the notice to Pandian, Mallik said, “If there is a notice, he will act as per the law.” BJP MLA Babu Singh hit back at the BJD, asking why its leaders were “so sensitive” about the notice issued to Pandian.
“Pandian has taken ‘sanyas’ from active politics after the defeat of BJD in 2024. Why are these people so scared about the notice to him?” he said. PTI AAM AAM MNB
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