CUTTACK: The more than two-year-old controversy over alleged disappearance of a large haul of ganja after seizure by the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Cuttack has taken a new turn with the Odisha High Court taking up a petition seeking a Vigilance probe into it.
The controversy had sparked off following media reports on disappearance of 16 large bundles of ganja seized from a train at Cuttack railway station on May 7, 2017.
Though an inquiry by a senior GRP official indicated the disappearance of the seized ganja, no action was followed and the misappropriation was put on the back-burner.
One Brundaban Das Azad, a resident of the city, filed the petition stating that the inquiry by a Sub Divisional Railway Police Officer (SDRPO) on the basis of CCTV footage had confirmed that the ganja bundles had disappeared after being removed from a train and kept on the platform.
Acting in response to the petition, a single judge bench of Justice Biswajit Mohanty on Monday directed the State Vigilance to file a response by July 9, the date fixed for hearing of the case.
According to the petition, SDPRO (Cuttack Zone) SK Mishra had in his inquiry report observed that the disappearance of 16 bundles of ganja after seizure was true and involvement of staff could not be ruled out.
A thorough investigation was necessary to unearth the involvement of staff and others involved in the racket, Mishra had observed in his report which was submitted on May 19, 2017.
The inquiry report annexed to the petition indicated that on the basis of CCTV footage, the GRP staff had removed 16 ganja bundles from the general coach of East Coast Howrah-Hyderabad Express (Down) after it arrived on platform no 1 at 8.37 am on May 7, 2017 and subsequently, transported those by means of an RMS trolley.