BHUBANESWAR: A day after Odisha government filed an FIR over the disappearance of two inquiry commission reports, the ruling BJP on Thursday pointed fingers at the previous BJD government, alleging that it was planned and a conspiracy lay behind it.
Addressing a media conference, state BJP general secretary Biranchi Narayan Tripathy alleged that on June 4, 2024, during counting of votes, when the BJP was taking a massive lead, the BJD government realised it was losing power and the two commission reports were stolen.
At that time, all files were sent back from the then chief minister’s office (CMO) to the Home department but the two commission reports were not returned. The Justice AS Naidu probe panel was investigating the murder of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati and the subsequent riot in Kandhamal in 2008, while the other was the RDC-level inquiry report on the SUM Hospital fire incident in 2016.
Tripathy said government searched for the files at various places but when it was not found, on October 23, 2025, a letter was sent to former chief minister Naveen Patnaik from the Home Department but the latter did not reply. On November 4, Naveen was sent a reminder. However, on November 15, the private secretary to the Leader of Opposition and the then CM wrote back to the government stating that Naveen had instructed him to search the file, he added.
“From this, it is clear that there is a conspiracy behind it. First, Swamiji was killed by hatching a conspiracy and later, fearing exposure, the investigation file on his murder was also stolen,” he claimed.
Stating that the conspiracy to steal the file has exposed the previous BJD government, Tripathy said if the commission report had been made public, it would have thrown light on the reasons behind Swamiji’s murder and those behind it. It would also have exposed the illegal religious conversions going on in Kandhamal and surrounding areas.
“At that time it was alleged that religious conversions were going on in the region with the encouragement of the then government. Fearing that the incident would be exposed, this important commission report was stolen,” he added.
The BJD government had set up Justice Sarat Mahapatra commission of inquiry after the murder of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati at Tumudibandh in Kandhamal district on August 23, 2008. However, Justice Mahapatra passed away before he could complete the investigation. After that, Justice AS Naidu took charge of the commission and carried the investigation forward. The commission submitted report on September 16, 2016.
The BJP had then demanded both inside and outside the Assembly that the report be made public but it was ignored by the previous government, Tripathy said.
Stating that Swamiji had worked for over 40 years for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and was extremely popular across Odisha, he said despite several previous attacks on the Swamiji, no importance was given to his security. “Even at the time of this murder, administration did not provide the security he should have received,” Tripathy said and added, on the day Swamiji was killed, the security given to him was withdrawn.
