Odisha Crime Branch to probe missing judicial report on VHP leader’s killing

Odisha's Crime Branch has taken charge of investigating the disappearance of two key judicial reports related to high-profile incidents, including the 2008 killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmanananda Saraswati. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi issued orders on Monday directing the agency to probe the case, marking another step in the state government's efforts to address unresolved legal matters. The reports in question include the Justice AS Naidu Commission's findings on the 2008 incident and the Revenue Divisional Commissioner's inquiry into the 2016 SUM Hospital fire in Bhubaneswar. The 2008 killing of Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others by Maoists at his ashram in Kandhamal district sparked widespread communal unrest, resulting in at least 38 deaths and extensive damage to religious sites. The Naidu commission, tasked with examining the incident, submitted its final report in 2016. Meanwhile, the Revenue Divisional Commissioner conducted an inquiry into the 2016 SUM Hospital fire, which claimed 24 lives as smoke engulfed critical care areas of the private hospital in Bhubaneswar. The commissioner’s report was finalized in 2018. According to a first information report filed last month by the Odisha home department, both documents have gone missing despite thorough searches. Joint secretary Sarat Chandra Marandi of the home department noted that the absence of the reports raises concerns about their possible intentional removal or unlawful handling. “The circumstances surrounding the disappearance of these two reports create a reasonable suspicion that the reports may have been intentionally removed, retained, concealed, destroyed or otherwise unlawfully dealt with,” the FIR stated. This marks the sixth instance in which the Crime Branch has been assigned a major investigation since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government under Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi took power in June 2024. Previous cases include allegations of custodial abuse against an Indian Army officer’s fiancée at the Bharatpur Police Station in Bhubaneswar, the self-immolation of a student at Fakir Mohan College in Balasore due to sexual harassment claims, and irregularities in the Odisha Police Sub-Inspector recruitment exam. These cases were either transferred to the Crime Branch or referred to other agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation. Other investigations handed over to the Crime Branch involve the alleged conspiracy behind errors in Odisha school textbooks and the lynching of a Government Railway Police constable near Bhubaneswar over accusations of attempting to assault two women. Each of these cases highlights ongoing scrutiny of administrative and law enforcement practices within the state. The involvement of the Crime Branch signals a shift toward centralized oversight of complex legal inquiries, particularly those involving potential misconduct or cover-ups. As the agency begins its probe, officials will likely focus on tracing the missing reports and determining whether there was any deliberate obstruction of justice. The outcome of this investigation could set a precedent for how similar cases are handled in the future.