Odisha: Missing CMO Files Case: Police Intensify Probe Into Disappearance Of Key Inquiry Reports
The fresh inspection follows an earlier search carried out on June 20 after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered at Capital Police Station regarding the missing files: Reports
BHUBANESWAR: Police on Tuesday intensified their investigation into the alleged theft of two crucial inquiry reports from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), conducting another round of searches at the general administration (GA) department in Lok Seva Bhawan, the Odisha secretariat in Bhubaneswar.
Investigating officers examined records maintained at the offices of the Chief Secretary and the general administration department as part of the ongoing probe into the disappearance of the sensitive documents. The fresh inspection follows an earlier search carried out on June 20 after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered at Capital Police Station regarding the missing files.
According to official records, all files had been returned from the CMO to the home department on June 4, 2024. However, two important inquiry reports—one relating to the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and another concerning the devastating SUM Hospital fire tragedy—were later found missing. Authorities suspect that the reports may have been stolen with ulterior motives rather than being misplaced during routine file movement.
Police are currently scrutinising official records, file movement registers and administrative procedures within the state secretariat to trace the missing documents and establish the circumstances surrounding their disappearance. No official statement was available from the investigating agency on Tuesday.
The FIR was lodged on June 10 by home department joint secretary Sarat Chandra Marandi, alleging that key documents, including the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission report on the Laxmanananda Saraswati murder case and the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) inquiry report into the SUM Hospital fire incident, had gone missing.
Following the complaint, police registered a case under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 305, 316(2), 238(c), 241 and 61(2)(b), reflecting the seriousness of the allegations.
The disappearance of the reports triggered a major political controversy on June 17 when revenue minister Suresh Pujari claimed that the documents may have been “deliberately stolen” rather than accidentally misplaced. He further stated that if necessary, former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik could also be questioned during the investigation.
The missing reports relate to two significant incidents in Odisha's recent history. Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his associates were killed at his Jalespeta Ashram in Kandhamal district in August 2008, an incident that triggered widespread communal violence across the district. The Justice A.S. Naidu Commission was constituted to inquire into the circumstances leading to the murder.
The second missing document concerns the devastating fire at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar on October 17, 2016. The blaze, which originated in the hospital's dialysis unit and spread rapidly through smoke-filled wards, claimed more than 20 lives and exposed serious lapses in fire safety measures. An RDC-led inquiry was subsequently ordered to determine responsibility and recommend corrective measures.
