The Crime Branch of Odisha Police on Tuesday, 28 July 2026, formally launched an investigation into the alleged disappearance of the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission report on the 2008 killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others at the Jaleshpata Ashram in Kandhamal district. The probe follows directions issued by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and centres on the report's alleged removal from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) during the tenure of the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government.

How the Case Was Transferred

The Crime Branch re-registered the matter as CID CB P.S. Case No. 09 of 2026, dated 28 July 2026, after taking over from the Capital Police Station in Bhubaneswar, where it had originally been logged as Case No. 460 of 2026 on 10 June 2026. The re-registration was carried out under Sections 305, 316(2), 238(c), 241 and 61(2)(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, on the order of the Director General of Police, CID, Crime Branch, Odisha.

According to the Crime Branch, the transfer was made 'in view of the larger public interest and to ensure an impartial and thorough investigation.' Deputy Superintendent of Police Asutosh Mishra will lead the day-to-day investigation, with Crime Branch SP Anirudha Routray supervising and monitoring progress.

What the Original Complaint Alleged

The case was initiated on the basis of a written complaint lodged by a senior official of the Home Department. The complaint alleged not only the disappearance of the Naidu Commission report on the 2008 Kandhamal killings but also the missing RDC inquiry report on the SUM Hospital fire incident of 2016 — suggesting a broader pattern of official records going unaccounted for during the BJD administration.

Notably, both reports were held in the CMO, raising questions about custodial responsibility and the chain of document handling across government transitions.

Former Bureaucrats Summoned

The Commissionerate Police has summoned four former bureaucrats to join the investigation, including V.K. Pandian, a close aide of BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik. Each official was asked to appear before the investigating officer on separate dates. Of the four, only former IT Secretary Manoj Kumar Mishra has so far recorded his statement; the remaining three are yet to depose before the police.

Background: The 2008 Kandhamal Killings

The Justice A.S. Naidu Commission was constituted to inquire into the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others at the Jaleshpata Ashram in Kandhamal on 23 August 2008. The murders triggered widespread communal violence across the district. The commission's findings were never made public, and the alleged disappearance of the report from the CMO has long been a point of political contention in Odisha.

What Happens Next

With the Crime Branch now formally in charge, investigators are expected to examine the document trail within the CMO and question the remaining former officials who have not yet appeared. The case marks an escalation in the current Majhi government's scrutiny of the previous BJD administration's record-keeping. Whether the report itself can be recovered — or whether it was destroyed — remains the central question the investigation must answer.