VK Pandian, Naveen Patnaik's ex-aide, gets police summons over missing CMO reports
Odisha Police have asked former bureaucrat-turned-politician VK Pandian to appear on 25 July in the missing CMO reports case. The notice widens the probe into the disappearance of two inquiry reports during the change of government.
Odisha Police on Wednesday served a notice to former bureaucrat-turned-politician VK Pandian, directing him to appear before the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) on July 25 in connection with its investigation into the alleged disappearance of two inquiry commission reports from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) during the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government's tenure.
Pandian served as the private secretary to then Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2024, when the two reports of separate inquiry commissions allegedly went missing from the CMO during the transition of government after the BJP won the elections.
The investigating officer of the Capital Police Station in Bhubaneswar issued the notice to Pandian, asking him to appear before the ACP, Zone I, Bhubaneswar Urban Police Department (UPD), on July 25 at 11 am for examination and to cooperate with the investigation.
The notice also directed Pandian to bring any documents, records, electronic devices or other materials relevant to the case that may be in his possession or under his control.
"Whereas, I am investigating Capital PS Case No 460 dated 10.06.2026 U/s-305/316 (2) /238/241/61 (2) (b) BNS and from the information collected during the course of investigation, it appears that you may be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the said case," investigating officer Bipin Behari Hota said in the notice issued to Pandian. The letter was sent to his residence in Palaspalli.
Earlier, on July 10, police had asked two senior retired IAS officers, Rajesh Verma, who served as Principal Secretary to Naveen Patnaik from 2017 to 2019, and Manoj Mishra, former IT Secretary from 2019 to 2022 and Officer on Special Duty to the former chief minister, to appear before investigators and cooperate with the probe.
Mishra appeared before the police on July 18 and recorded his statement.
Verma, who currently serves as the chairperson of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in New Delhi, missed the deadline on Wednesday.
A senior police officer said Verma may receive another notice as he could not appear on the scheduled date. The officer added that Verma should cooperate with the investigation and warned that police may take legal action if the former IAS officer fails to comply with the second notice.
The investigation began after Sarat Chandra Marandi, Joint Secretary in the Home Department, filed an FIR at the Capital Police Station in Bhubaneswar on June 10. In the complaint, Marandi alleged that two important documents, the Justice AS Naidu Commission report on the murder of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and the subsequent communal riots in Kandhamal in 2008, and the RDC inquiry report into the 2016 Sum Hospital fire incident, had gone missing from the CMO.
The complaint stated that the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the two reports created a reasonable suspicion that the documents may have been intentionally removed, retained, concealed, destroyed or otherwise unlawfully dealt with.
Marandi also said that since the reports were of significant importance, their disappearance from official custody was a matter of serious public concern that required a thorough investigation.
Odisha Police on Wednesday served a notice to former bureaucrat-turned-politician VK Pandian, directing him to appear before the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) on July 25 in connection with its investigation into the alleged disappearance of two inquiry commission reports from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) during the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government's tenure.
Pandian served as the private secretary to then Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2024, when the two reports of separate inquiry commissions allegedly went missing from the CMO during the transition of government after the BJP won the elections.
The investigating officer of the Capital Police Station in Bhubaneswar issued the notice to Pandian, asking him to appear before the ACP, Zone I, Bhubaneswar Urban Police Department (UPD), on July 25 at 11 am for examination and to cooperate with the investigation.
The notice also directed Pandian to bring any documents, records, electronic devices or other materials relevant to the case that may be in his possession or under his control.
"Whereas, I am investigating Capital PS Case No 460 dated 10.06.2026 U/s-305/316 (2) /238/241/61 (2) (b) BNS and from the information collected during the course of investigation, it appears that you may be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the said case," investigating officer Bipin Behari Hota said in the notice issued to Pandian. The letter was sent to his residence in Palaspalli.
Earlier, on July 10, police had asked two senior retired IAS officers, Rajesh Verma, who served as Principal Secretary to Naveen Patnaik from 2017 to 2019, and Manoj Mishra, former IT Secretary from 2019 to 2022 and Officer on Special Duty to the former chief minister, to appear before investigators and cooperate with the probe.
Mishra appeared before the police on July 18 and recorded his statement.
Verma, who currently serves as the chairperson of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in New Delhi, missed the deadline on Wednesday.
A senior police officer said Verma may receive another notice as he could not appear on the scheduled date. The officer added that Verma should cooperate with the investigation and warned that police may take legal action if the former IAS officer fails to comply with the second notice.
The investigation began after Sarat Chandra Marandi, Joint Secretary in the Home Department, filed an FIR at the Capital Police Station in Bhubaneswar on June 10. In the complaint, Marandi alleged that two important documents, the Justice AS Naidu Commission report on the murder of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and the subsequent communal riots in Kandhamal in 2008, and the RDC inquiry report into the 2016 Sum Hospital fire incident, had gone missing from the CMO.
The complaint stated that the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the two reports created a reasonable suspicion that the documents may have been intentionally removed, retained, concealed, destroyed or otherwise unlawfully dealt with.
Marandi also said that since the reports were of significant importance, their disappearance from official custody was a matter of serious public concern that required a thorough investigation.
Odisha Police on Wednesday served a notice to former bureaucrat-turned-politician VK Pandian, directing him to appear before the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) on July 25 in connection with its investigation into the alleged disappearance of two inquiry commission reports from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) during the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government's tenure.
Pandian served as the private secretary to then Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2024, when the two reports of separate inquiry commissions allegedly went missing from the CMO during the transition of government after the BJP won the elections.
The investigating officer of the Capital Police Station in Bhubaneswar issued the notice to Pandian, asking him to appear before the ACP, Zone I, Bhubaneswar Urban Police Department (UPD), on July 25 at 11 am for examination and to cooperate with the investigation.
The notice also directed Pandian to bring any documents, records, electronic devices or other materials relevant to the case that may be in his possession or under his control.
"Whereas, I am investigating Capital PS Case No 460 dated 10.06.2026 U/s-305/316 (2) /238/241/61 (2) (b) BNS and from the information collected during the course of investigation, it appears that you may be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the said case," investigating officer Bipin Behari Hota said in the notice issued to Pandian. The letter was sent to his residence in Palaspalli.
Earlier, on July 10, police had asked two senior retired IAS officers, Rajesh Verma, who served as Principal Secretary to Naveen Patnaik from 2017 to 2019, and Manoj Mishra, former IT Secretary from 2019 to 2022 and Officer on Special Duty to the former chief minister, to appear before investigators and cooperate with the probe.
Mishra appeared before the police on July 18 and recorded his statement.
Verma, who currently serves as the chairperson of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in New Delhi, missed the deadline on Wednesday.
A senior police officer said Verma may receive another notice as he could not appear on the scheduled date. The officer added that Verma should cooperate with the investigation and warned that police may take legal action if the former IAS officer fails to comply with the second notice.
The investigation began after Sarat Chandra Marandi, Joint Secretary in the Home Department, filed an FIR at the Capital Police Station in Bhubaneswar on June 10. In the complaint, Marandi alleged that two important documents, the Justice AS Naidu Commission report on the murder of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and the subsequent communal riots in Kandhamal in 2008, and the RDC inquiry report into the 2016 Sum Hospital fire incident, had gone missing from the CMO.
The complaint stated that the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the two reports created a reasonable suspicion that the documents may have been intentionally removed, retained, concealed, destroyed or otherwise unlawfully dealt with.
Marandi also said that since the reports were of significant importance, their disappearance from official custody was a matter of serious public concern that required a thorough investigation.
