Bhubaneswar: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) following the registration of an FIR over the alleged disappearance of two inquiry commission reports from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) during the BJD regime in Odisha. 

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari said that after the present government assumed office, efforts were made to examine the reports of various inquiry commissions.

He also stated that during the review, authorities found that two key documents — the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission report on the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and his disciples at Jaleshpeta Ashram in 2008, and the RDC inquiry report on the SUM Hospital fire tragedy in 2016 — were missing from the records. The officials were later instructed to search for the reports, which were suspected to have been misplaced.

However, Pujari alleged that no records were available to show that the reports had been returned from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) to the Home Department.

“On enquiry, we found that these files were neither returned to the Home Department nor handed over to the new government, which is a normal administrative process during a regime change,” said the minister.

He claimed that the Home Secretary also wrote multiple times to the then Chief Minister and the present Leader of Opposition, urging him to return these two inquiry commission reports. Pujari stated that the former Chief Minister, in his reply, had also assured the return of the files once they were traced.

“After a long wait, the government felt that there is little chance of the return of the files. These files were not misplaced accidentally but deliberately concealed or misplaced. These files might have put the then government in the dock. Hence, left with no other option, the government and an official of the Home Department have filed a case at Capital Police Station,” alleged Pujari.

He expressed hope that there would be a proper investigation leading to the successful tracing of the files.

It is worth noting that the Odisha Home Department has sought a police investigation into the disappearance of two important inquiry commission reports after the documents were found to be untraceable during the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government.

According to a complaint filed by Joint Secretary to the Government (Home Department) Sarat Chandra Marandi, the untraceable reports include the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission report on the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and others at Jaleshpeta Ashram in Kandhamal district, and the RDC inquiry report on the tragic fire incident at SUM Hospital and Medical College in Bhubaneswar.

On Wednesday, a case (460/26) was lodged with Capital Police Station in Bhubaneswar over the disappearance of the two inquiry reports.