Crime Branch to Probe Disappearance of Laxmanananda Saraswati Murder Inquiry File from CMO
The Crime Branch will also ascertain if any individual had directed or influenced the removal of the file from official records.
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Crime Branch has taken up an investigation into the alleged disappearance of the judicial commission report file related to the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), with the probe set to examine the circumstances surrounding the missing records and identify those responsible for their custody and movement.
The investigation agency will look into a series of questions, including when the file went missing, the officials and departments through which it passed, the last person who handled the document, and whether the disappearance was a result of negligence, misplacement or a deliberate act. The Crime Branch will also ascertain if any individual had directed or influenced the removal of the file from official records.
The missing document relates to the judicial commission of inquiry constituted to investigate the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, a VHP leader and religious figure whose assassination in Kandhamal district in 2008 triggered widespread violence and remains one of the most sensitive political and social issues in Odisha.
The inquiry commission, headed by Justice A.S. Naidu, was constituted by the Odisha government to examine the circumstances leading to the murder, the sequence of events surrounding the incident, and possible lapses that contributed to the killing. The commission had submitted its report to the government after completing its proceedings.
The issue of the missing file came to the forefront on June 17, when revenue minister Suresh Pujari disclosed that two important commission inquiry report files had allegedly gone missing from the CMO. The revelation triggered a political controversy, with the minister suggesting that the disappearance might not have been a case of simple misplacement but could have involved deliberate removal of official documents.
The missing files reportedly included the inquiry report related to the Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati murder case and another commission report. The government subsequently initiated steps to ascertain the circumstances under which the documents disappeared from the CMO’s records.
The controversy assumed political significance as the Laxmanananda Saraswati murder case has remained a contentious issue in Odisha politics for over a decade. The killing of the 84-year-old religious leader at his ashram in Jalespata area of Kandhamal district on August 23, 2008, along with four of his disciples, led to communal tension and large-scale violence in the district.
The case was initially investigated by the Odisha Police Crime Branch, which later filed chargesheets against Maoists, identifying them as the accused in the murder. However, the incident has continued to generate political debate, with different parties raising questions over the circumstances behind the killing and the findings of various investigations.
The Crime Branch probe into the missing file is now expected to establish whether the disappearance was due to administrative lapses or whether there was any attempt to suppress, tamper with or remove sensitive government records.
Officials said the investigation would involve examination of CMO records, movement registers, files related to the commission report, and statements of personnel who had access to the documents.
