Odisha Chief Minister Orders CID Investigation into Missing Reports Related to 2008 Violence

In a significant development, Odisha's Chief Minister Mohan Chandra Majhi has directed the CID to investigate the mysterious disappearance of reports linked to the 2008 Kandhamal violence and the murder of VHP leader Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati. The reports went missing around the time the BJP assumed power in the state. This incident has raised serious concerns about the handling of sensitive documents, prompting political discussions in Odisha. The investigation is ongoing, with former IAS officers being summoned for questioning. The implications of these missing reports could have far-reaching effects on the political landscape in the region.

By Narendra Chaudhary Jul 28, 2026, 08:54 IST

Investigation Ordered into Missing Reports

Bhawaneshwar, July 27 - The Chief Minister of Odisha, Mohan Chandra Majhi, has instructed the CID to investigate the disappearance of the commission report concerning the murder of VHP leader Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati and the communal violence that occurred in Kandhamal in 2008. This incident took place during the tenure of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government. The investigation was initially being conducted by the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack police commissionerate.

The A.S. Naidu commission had been tasked with probing the murder of Saraswati and the subsequent communal unrest. Reports suggest that the document went missing around the time the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in Odisha in 2024. The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) released a statement indicating that the Chief Minister has referred the case of the missing Naidu commission report related to the Swami Lakshmanananda murder to the CID crime branch.

In addition to the Naidu commission report, another report from the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) regarding a fire incident at SUM Hospital in 2016 has also reportedly vanished from the CMO.

A missing person report was filed at the Capital police station on June 10, which is currently under investigation by the police commissionerate. The FIR was lodged following a complaint from Sharat Chandra Marandi, the Joint Secretary of the Home Department. The complainant expressed concerns that the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of these two reports raise legitimate suspicions that the documents may have been deliberately removed, concealed, destroyed, or otherwise mishandled unlawfully.

Officials have confirmed that the Chief Minister has handed over this matter to the CID crime branch. This decision was made after three former IAS officers—VK Pandian, UN Behera, and Rajesh Verma—failed to appear before the investigating officer despite being summoned this month. Pandian informed the police that he could not attend due to being abroad.

Meanwhile, Rajesh Verma has been issued another notice to appear before the investigating officer on July 30. Behera, who served as the Additional Chief Secretary to former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik from November 2015 to January 2017, also did not present himself before the police on Sunday. The disappearance of these files has sparked political debate in Odisha, particularly concerning the sensitive Naidu commission report on the Kandhamal violence, which was submitted in 2016 but has never been made public.