Bhubaneswar, July 28: The Crime Branch of Odisha Police on Tuesday formally took over the investigation into the alleged disappearance of the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission report on the 2008 killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) during the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government.

Acting on the directions of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, the CID-Crime Branch re-registered the case as CID CB P.S. Case No. 09 of 2026, dated July 28, under Sections 305, 316(2), 238(c), 241 and 61(2)(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The move is aimed at ensuring an independent and comprehensive investigation into the disappearance of the sensitive official records.

In an official statement, the Crime Branch said it had taken over the case from Capital Police Station in the larger public interest. The agency stated that the investigation would be carried out in a fair, impartial and professional manner to ascertain how the reports went missing and identify those responsible.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asutosh Mishra has been assigned as the Investigating Officer, while Crime Branch Superintendent of Police Anirudha Routray will supervise the probe.

The development comes a day after the Chief Minister directed the Crime Branch to assume charge of the investigation into the missing commission report. The case was originally registered by Capital Police on June 10 following a complaint by a senior Home Department official regarding the disappearance of two important inquiry reports—the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission report on the Kandhamal killings and the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) inquiry report on the 2016 SUM Hospital fire tragedy.

During the preliminary investigation, the Commissionerate Police had issued notices to and questioned several former senior bureaucrats, including former IAS officer V.K. Pandian, as part of efforts to trace the missing documents. The Crime Branch is expected to continue the investigation by examining official records, digital evidence and witness statements before taking the probe forward.

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