Cuttack: The Odisha Director General of Police (DGP), Abhay today ordered Crime Branch probe into the death of the then Malkangiri Collector’s Personal Assistant (PA), Debanarayan Panda in December, 2019.
Banaja Panda, wife of the deceased Debanarayan, today lodged a complaint against the Superintendent of Police and five others police personnel alleging that she is being threatened to withdraw the case from the SDJM court.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the tardy pace of investigation, she had demanded a CBI probe into the matter. However, the Odisha DGP handed over the case to the Crime Branch.
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DGP orders Crime Branch investigation into Malkangiri PS case no.401 dtd.13.11.2020 u/s- 302/506/201/204/120B/34 IPC.
— Crime Branch, Odisha Police (@CIDOdisha) January 28, 2021
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Mrs Panda has lodged the complaint against SP Rishikesh Khillari, IIC Ram Prasad Nag, ex-DIB inspector Soumya Sekhar Tripathy, constables Shree Padhi, Kumar Munna and Ramakanta Pradhan. A case (5/21) has been registered and the six police personnel were booked under Sections 506, 204, 203, 202, 201, 196, 193, 192, 119, 115, 107, 120 (b) and 34 of the IPC.
Last year on December 27, Debanarayan went missing under mysterious circumstances and the very next day his body was recovered from Satiguda dam. Hearing the plea of deceased Panda’s family, the court directed police to book the then Malkangiri Collector, Manish Agarwal, and four others accused in the case.
Deceased Debanarayan’s wife Banaja Panda had earlier lodged an FIR against Agarwal and three others at the district Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court in connection with the case.
