Bhubaneswar: The controversy surrounding the alleged disappearance of two crucial inquiry commission reports from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has escalated, following the Home Department’s decision to lodge an FIR at the Capital Police Station. The missing documents are the Justice AS Naidu Commission report concerning the murder of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and the subsequent Kandhamal violence, and the RDC inquiry report on the devastating SUM Hospital fire. Both reports are considered sensitive and of significant public importance.
According to official sources, the complaint was filed by Joint Secretary of the Home Department, Sarat Chandra Marandi, who sought a detailed criminal investigation into the disappearance of the reports. Acting on the complaint, police have registered a case under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 305, 316(2), 238(c), 241 and 61(2)(b), indicating the seriousness of the matter and the possibility of criminal misconduct involving official records.
Reports Went Missing After Being Sent to CMO
Sarat Chandra Marandi, Joint Secretary, Home Department, Government of Odisha, has formally sought registration of a criminal case and a thorough investigation into the disappearance of two important judicial inquiry reports that were submitted to the State Government and later forwarded to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
In a letter addressed to the Inspector-in-Charge of Capital Police Station, the Home Department stated that the two inquiry reports had been duly received after submission by their respective commissions and were subsequently forwarded through official channels for government consideration.
Marandi stated that the reports in question are the report of the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission of Inquiry into the killing of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and others at Jaleshpeta Ashram in Kandhamal district, and the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) inquiry report on the tragic fire incident at SUM Hospital & Medical College, Bhubaneswar.
According to the complaint, both reports were received by the Home Department after submission by the respective inquiry commissions and were subsequently forwarded through the office of the Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister’s Office in the normal course of official business. The Justice A.S. Naidu Commission report was sent to the Chief Secretary’s office on September 16, 2016, and forwarded to the CMO on September 19, 2016. Similarly, the RDC inquiry report was sent to the Chief Secretary’s office on May 23, 2018, and forwarded to the CMO on May 24, 2018.
The Home Department has recently learned that both reports are not available in the CMO and remain untraceable despite searches conducted by the concerned authorities. The complaint notes that several other reports and official files forwarded by the Home Department during the same period were returned from the CMO on June 4, 2024, the day the counting of votes for the Odisha Legislative Assembly elections took place and a change in government became evident.
However, while other files were returned, the two judicial inquiry reports were not. Their absence has raised concerns regarding their whereabouts and possible mishandling.
Marandi has stated that the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the reports create a reasonable suspicion that they may have been intentionally removed, retained, concealed, destroyed, or otherwise unlawfully dealt with. He emphasized that the reports are important government records prepared by judicial and quasi-judicial authorities and that their disappearance from official custody is a matter of serious public concern.
The complaint further alleges that the facts and circumstances disclose reasonable grounds for suspecting the commission of cognizable offences related to unauthorised removal, criminal breach of trust, concealment, and destruction of official records.
Seeking immediate action, the Joint Secretary has requested that a formal case be registered and investigated to ascertain the circumstances leading to the disappearance of the reports, identify those responsible, and take appropriate legal action in accordance with the law.
Significance of the Justice Sarat Chandra Mohapatra and Justice AS Naidu Commissions
The judicial inquiry into the killing of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and four of his associates at Jaleshpeta Ashram in Kandhamal district on 23 August 2008 represents one of the most significant investigations into a major law-and-order and communal violence incident in Odisha’s recent history.
In the aftermath of the assassination and the subsequent communal unrest in Kandhamal, the Government of Odisha constituted a one-man Commission of Inquiry headed by retired Justice Sarat Chandra Mohapatra. The Commission was entrusted with examining the circumstances leading to the killing of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and his associates, the causes and sequence of the ensuing communal violence, and the role of individuals, organizations, and administrative authorities connected with the incidents.
Justice Mohapatra’s Commission was the first official judicial inquiry established to investigate the events surrounding the Kandhamal violence. During its proceedings, the Commission recorded extensive evidence, examined witnesses, received affidavits, and laid the foundation for a comprehensive inquiry into the incident and its aftermath.
However, following the demise of Justice Mohapatra in May 2012, the inquiry remained incomplete. The State Government subsequently appointed retired Justice A.S. Naidu to continue and conclude the proceedings. Building upon the evidence and records already collected, Justice Naidu completed the inquiry and submitted the final Commission Report to the Government in December 2015.
The Justice A.S. Naidu Commission Report, therefore, traces its origins to the judicial inquiry initiated by Justice Sarat Chandra Mohapatra and represents the culmination of nearly seven years of investigation into one of Odisha’s most sensitive and consequential episodes of communal violence.
The report assumes particular significance as it constitutes an authoritative judicial examination of the circumstances surrounding the assassination of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati, the subsequent communal disturbances in Kandhamal, the adequacy of the administrative response, and the broader factors that contributed to the violence. As an official record prepared under statutory authority, the report is an important document for public administration, historical reference, policy formulation, and institutional accountability.
At the time, Secretary of the Commission A.K. Patnaik handed over the report, comprising two volumes, to the Home Department. While the findings and recommendations were not made public, officials had disclosed that the commission examined 825 affidavits, recorded the testimony of around 300 witnesses and scrutinized nearly 4,000 pages of documentary evidence during the course of its investigation.
SUM Hospital Fire Report Also Missing
The second missing report pertains to the inquiry into the tragic fire at SUM Hospital and Medical College in Bhubaneswar. The incident, which claimed numerous lives and exposed serious concerns regarding fire safety standards in healthcare institutions, led the government to order an inquiry by the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC).
BJP Questions Naveen Patnaik Over Missing Naidu Commission Report
BJP State spokesperson Anil Biswal on June 11 questioned Naveen Patnaik about the missing Naidu Commission report on the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.
“What was in the inquiry commission report on the murder of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati that allegedly made the BJD government and the former Chief Minister so concerned that the report was made to disappear from the Chief Minister’s Office?” asked Anil Biswal.
“The people of Odisha will never forgive Naveen Babu, who served as Chief Minister of Odisha for 24 years, for such an act. If this is indeed true, this incident may permanently stain his legacy in Odisha’s history. This is not merely a political conspiracy; it is also evidence that the previous BJD government protected forces involved in religious conversion activities in Odisha,” he further said.
“Why did the former Chief Minister visit Rome, and is there any connection between that visit and the disappearance of the Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati murder commission report? Was this done to prevent embarrassment to some foreign organization? These are among the many questions that remain in the minds of the people of Odisha today,” he added.
“In 2016, the Naidu Commission report was submitted to former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Despite repeated demands, he did not make it public throughout his tenure until 2024. The real reasons behind this are now gradually coming to light,” the BJP Spokesperson said.
“Making public the commission report on the murder of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati was one of our commitments during the election campaign. We were, and continue to be, committed to exposing both those who murdered Swamiji and those who were behind the murder. Sooner or later, we will certainly fulfill this commitment,” added Biswal.
