BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday directed the suspension of Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Sangram Keshari Behera, currently posted as director (commercial) of the Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC), for his alleged involvement in the death of Paralakhemundi assistant conservator of forests (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra in 2021.
According to a release issued by the chief minister’s office (CMO), Behera, the divisional forest officer (DFO) of Gajapati district at the time of the incident, was an accused in the case.
The suspension comes after the District and Sessions Court in Paralakhemundi remanded Behera in judicial custody in connection with the case. He had surrendered before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court on July 27.
Mohapatra, a 2018-batch Odisha Forest Service (OFS) officer posted in the Paralakhemundi forest division, had suffered severe burn injuries at his official residence on July 11, 2021. His wife was present in the house at the time of the incident. He succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital in Cuttack the following day.
His family had alleged that Mohapatra was murdered and accused the then DFO Behera, Mohapatra’s wife and the household cook of involvement. They had lodged a complaint at the Paralakhemundi police station on July 13, 2021. The investigation was subsequently transferred to the Crime Branch.
In September 2022, the family approached the trial court, alleging lapses in the investigation. After the accused failed to appear despite repeated summons, the court issued non-bailable warrants against him.
Behera subsequently moved the Orissa High Court seeking anticipatory bail but his plea was rejected. The High Court directed him to surrender before the trial court following which he surrendered before the Paralakhemundi SDJM court on July 27.
