Even as the death of Paralakhemundi Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra is still shrouded in mystery, a PIL was filed in the Orissa High Court on Tuesday seeking a CBI or SIT inquiry probe into the case.
The PIL filed by Bharatiya Bikash Parisad (BBP) State president Surendra Panigrahi has made the State Home Secretary, Chief Secretary, the Central Government, the State Director General of Police, the Gajapati SP and the Paralakhemundi police station IIC opposite parties.
Notably, Soumya Ranjan had been rescued in a half-charred state at his Government quarters in Paralakhemundi on July 12. He succumbed to the burn injuries while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Cuttack on July 13.
Family members of Soumya Ranjan had alleged involvement of his wife Bidyabharati Panda, Gajapati DFO Sangram Keshari Behera and a cook in murdering him.
As per reports, the police giving a clean chit to some of the accused, without completing the investigations has raised many eyebrows and shocked the deceased’s family members. The family lawyer has questioned the police investigations.
The family maintains that the ACF was killed and a thorough and professional investigation is needed to bring the culprits to book.
The postmortem report of the deceased which was released on Monday stated that the OFS officer had died of burn injuries and he had 95 burns. But the family members have been alleging that Soumya was killed.
Notably, a murder case was filed against the deceased's widow Bidyabharati Panda, Gajapati DFO Behera and his cook.
However, last week, the DFO was given a clean chit in the case by the Gajapati SP stating that the former had no relation with Bidyabharati and has no role to play in the ACF’s death.