Justice P K Mohanty, inquiring into the January 2, 2006 firing incident, on Saturday visited Kalinga Nagar area.
He went around Champakola, the spot in Kalinga Nagar where 13 tribals fell to police bullets while protesting land acquisition for Tata Steel’s 6 MT steel plant project. This is third visit of the Justice P K Mohanty Commission to the area.
In 2006, government had appointed Justice A S Naidu Commission for inquiring into the case, but the inquiry was closed in 2007 after a directive from the SC that sitting judges of HC cannot head inquiry commissions. Subsequently, Justice R K Patra Commission was constituted in 2008. It recorded statements of the then collector and SP. With the government appointing Justice Patra as Lokpal, this commission too met a premature end and Justice P K Mohanty Commission was entrusted with the inquiry.