In a significant development that has sent ripples through Odisha's administrative circles, the state police have summoned two former high-ranking officials, ex-IAS officer Rajesh Verma and former IT secretary Manoj Mishra. The Capital Police Station in Bhubaneswar has directed both officers to appear before the investigating officer on July 22 at 11 a.m. This move is part of an ongoing probe into the mysterious disappearance of critical inquiry commission reports from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) during the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) administration.

The Missing Reports & Historical Context

The controversy erupted after the Odisha Home Department filed a formal police complaint on June 10, alleging that two vital judicial inquiry reports were missing. These are not ordinary administrative files; they represent exhaustive investigations into two of the state's most sensitive historical events. The first is the Justice AS Naidu Commission report, which investigated the tragic 2008 Kandhamal communal riots triggered by the assassination of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. The second is the Revenue Divisional Commissioner's inquiry report into the horrific 2016 fire at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar, which claimed over 20 innocent lives.

Role of the Summoned Officers

The summoned officials held pivotal positions during the tenure of the previous government. Rajesh Verma served as the principal secretary to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik between 2017 and 2019, a period during which these records were under the CMO's custody. Manoj Mishra, a former Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer, was appointed as the principal secretary of the Electronics and IT Department on a contractual basis in 2022. Mishra was tasked with overseeing the state's digital database and IT operations, making his insights crucial to determining if any electronic records or physical logs were systematically altered or deleted.

Political Implications and Transition

The investigation highlights the friction that often accompanies a transition of power. Following the change of government in June 2024, several inquiry reports were scheduled to be transferred to the Home Department. While most files were successfully handed over, these two highly sensitive reports were conspicuously absent. The newly formed government's aggressive pursuit of this case suggests a broader political determination to hold the previous regime accountable for administrative lapses and potential cover-ups.