BHUBANESWAR: Former IAS officer and close aide of Naveen Patnaik, VK Pandian on Saturday skipped the police summons for questioning in connection with the disappearance of two inquiry commission reports from the chief minister’s office (CMO).
Pandian, who was asked by the Capital police station to appear before investigating officer Bipin Bihari Hota at the Zone-I ACP’s office at 11 am, sent an email stating he was outside the country and cannot join the probe on the scheduled date.
“We received an email from Pandian in which he mentioned that he was abroad. We will now decide our further course of action including issuing a second notice to him,” a police officer said. Sources said Pandian has not informed the police about his expected date of return to India.
The summons was issued as part of the investigation into the alleged disappearance of Justice AS Naidu Commission report on the 2008 killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati in Kandhamal and the RDC probe into the 2016 SUM Hospital fire in Bhubaneswar.
Police have already questioned former IT secretary Manoj Mishra in the connection while then principal secretary to CM Rajesh Verma has not appeared before the police. Former additional chief secretary to CM, UN Behera is scheduled to appear before police on Sunday.