BERHAMPUR: Former Gajapati divisional forest officer (DFO) Sangram Behera surrendered before the SDJM court at Paralakhemundi on Monday in connection with the high-profile death of assistant conservator of forests (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra in 2021.
Accompanied by his counsel, Behera appeared before the court around noon following a series of legal setbacks, including the issuance of non-bailable warrants. After surrendering, he moved a bail application before the court, which was rejected. He later approached the District and Sessions court with a fresh bail plea.
The case dates back to July 11, 2021 when Soumya, a 2020-batch OFS officer, sustained nearly 80 per cent burn injuries under mysterious circumstances at his official residence in Paralakhemundi. He was initially treated at government hospitals in Berhampur and Cuttack before being shifted to a private hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The incident triggered widespread outrage across the state. On July 14, 2021, the deceased officer’s family lodged a complaint alleging murder and named then Gajapati DFO Behera, Soumya’s wife Bidya Bharati Panda, and cook Manmath Kumbha as accused.
Considering the sensitivity of the case, the state government handed over the investigation to the CID Crime Branch in August 2021. Although the Crime Branch initially gave Behera a clean chit, the victim’s family challenged the findings and filed a protest petition.
Acting on the petition, the SDJM court took cognisance of the matter and issued summons to the accused.
After the accused allegedly failed to appear despite repeated summons, the court issued non-bailable warrants against them. In July 2025, the Orissa High Court dismissed petitions filed by Behera and Panda challenging the SDJM’s April 2023 order directing that they face trial for murder.
Behera’s anticipatory bail plea was subsequently rejected by the high court in October 2025, which directed him to surrender before the trial court.
Behera served as the Gajapati DFO at the time of the incident. Subsequently, he was posted as principal of the Forest Ranger College in Angul, where he served from January 2023 to April 2026. In May this year, he was appointed director of the Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC).