VK Pandian, a former IAS officer and Naveen Patnaik's valued assistant, received a notice from Odisha Police on Wednesday ordering him to appear for questioning in relation to the high-profile case involving the purported loss of two important investigation reports from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).
Investigating officer Bipin Bihari Hota of the Capital police station requested in the notice that Pandian show up at the Zone-I ACP office on Saturday, July 25, at 11 a.m.
According to the notice, material had surfaced during the inquiry that suggested Pandian might be familiar with the case's facts and circumstances.During Naveen's final three terms as chief minister, Pandian, who left the Indian Administrative Service to become involved in politics with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), was his private secretary.
Pandian is the third individual connected to the former administration to be called in relation to the case of missing reports. Previously, notices were sent to former IT secretary Manoj Mishra and former CMO principal secretary Rajesh Verma.
According to police sources, Mishra came before Capital police on July 18, but Verma has not yet shown up. He was requested to show up on Wednesday.Two extremely sensitive investigation reports—the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) inquiry report into the 2016 SUM Hospital fire tragedy and the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission report on the 2008 Kandhamal riots—are among the missing papers.
Allegations of deliberate removal, concealment, or destruction of official records led to the filing of a formal complaint on June 10. Police have insisted that a thorough and unbiased inquiry is being carried out.
It's interesting to note that Pandian received the notice one day after Naveen harshly denounced the police response to the students demonstrating against the NEET exam paper leak at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.