Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has suspended Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer and former Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Paralakhemundi, Sangram Keshari Behera, in connection with the alleged murder case of former Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra.

The suspension order was issued by the Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department after Behera remained in judicial custody for more than 48 hours following his arrest in the case.

According to the official notification, a prima facie allegation has been made regarding Behera's involvement in the death of Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, who was serving as ACF in the Paralakhemundi Forest Division. Following Mohapatra's death, an FIR was registered at Paralakhemundi Police Station under Sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, and the investigation is currently underway.

The department stated that Sangram Behera, who is currently serving as Director (Commercial) of the Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC), has remained in judicial custody since July 27, 2026. In accordance with Rule 12(2) of the Odisha Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1962, he has been deemed suspended with effect from the date of his detention and will remain under suspension until further orders.

During the suspension period, Behera's headquarters has been fixed at the office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force (HoFF), Odisha. He has also been directed not to leave the headquarters without prior permission from the competent authority. He will be entitled to subsistence allowance as per the applicable service rules.

On July 27, former DFO Sangram Keshari Behera surrendered before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Court in Paralakhemundi through his counsel. His bail plea was rejected by the SDJM Court. He subsequently approached the District and Sessions Court, but his second bail application was also rejected, following which he was remanded to judicial custody.

Before his current posting at OFDC, Behera served as Principal of the Forest Ranger College in Angul from January 2023 to April 2026. He assumed charge as Director (Commercial) of OFDC in May this year.

The case pertains to the death of ACF Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, who sustained severe burn injuries at his official residence in Paralakhemundi on July 12, 2021. He was initially admitted to a local hospital and later shifted to a private hospital in Cuttack, where he succumbed to his injuries on July 13, 2021.

On July 14, 2021, Mohapatra's family lodged a complaint alleging that he had been murdered. The complaint named then Paralakhemundi DFO Sangram Keshari Behera, Soumya Ranjan's wife Bidya Bharati, and cook Manmath Kumbha as accused.

Given the gravity of the allegations, the Odisha government transferred the investigation to the Crime Branch on August 14, 2021. The probe into the high-profile case remains in progress.