Odisha CM orders Crime Branch probe into missing Laxmanananda report
Synopsis
A judicial report on one of Odisha's bloodiest communal episodes — the 2008 Kandhamal violence triggered by the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati — has allegedly gone missing from the state's own CMO. Now, nearly a decade after it was submitted and more than a year after a new government took charge, Odisha CM Majhi has handed the case to the Crime Branch, with former BJD-era bureaucrats including V.K. Pandian already in the frame.
Key Takeaways
Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi on 27 July ordered the Crime Branch to take over the probe into the alleged disappearance of the Justice A.S.
Naidu Commission report.
The report, submitted in December 2015 , concerns the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four followers in Kandhamal on 23 August 2008 .
460/26 was registered at Capital Police Station, Bhubaneswar on 10 June 2026 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) .
Four former bureaucrats , including V.K.
Pandian , were summoned; only former IT Secretary Manoj Kumar Mishra has so far recorded his statement.
The 2008 Kandhamal violence reportedly claimed 40 lives , damaged 4,821 houses and 229 religious structures .
The Naidu Commission report has never been made public since its submission nearly a decade ago.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday, 27 July directed the Crime Branch of Odisha Police to take over the investigation into the alleged disappearance of the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission report on the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his followers — a report that reportedly vanished from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) during the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) regime. The move marks a significant escalation in what has become one of the most politically charged cold-case inquiries in recent Odisha history.
Background to the Probe
The Chief Minister's directive builds on an investigation already underway by the Commissionerate Police, which had been looking into the disappearance of both the Naidu Commission report and the RDC inquiry report on the SUM Hospital fire incident of 2016. A written complaint filed by a senior official of the Home Department led the Capital Police Station, Bhubaneswar to register Case No. 460/26 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on 10 June 2026.
Former Bureaucrats in the Crosshairs
The Commissionerate Police had earlier summoned four former bureaucrats to join the investigation, including V.K. Pandian, widely regarded as a close aide of BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik. The officials were called 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 officials are yet to depose before the police.
According to sources, following Chief Minister Majhi's directive, the Crime Branch has initiated the process of registering a fresh case to formally assume jurisdiction over the Naidu Commission report inquiry.
The 2008 Kandhamal Attack and Its Aftermath
Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four followers were killed in an armed attack at the Jaleshpata Ashram in Tumudibandh, Kandhamal, on 23 August 2008, during Janmashtami celebrations. The killings triggered widespread communal violence across the district that lasted several weeks, reportedly claiming 40 lives and leaving 4,821 houses and 229 religious structures damaged.
The state government subsequently constituted a judicial commission to investigate the incidents. Initially headed by retired High Court judge Justice Sarat Chandra Mohapatra, the commission passed to retired Justice A.S. Naidu after Justice Mohapatra's death in 2012. Justice Naidu submitted the final report to the government in December 2015. The report has never been made public.
What Happens Next
With the Crime Branch now set to register a fresh case, investigators are expected to pursue the chain of custody of the commission report from its submission in 2015 to its alleged disappearance from the CMO. The summoning of former officials — and the non-compliance by most — is likely to intensify political scrutiny of the previous BJD administration. How quickly the remaining bureaucrats comply with the Crime Branch's summons will be a key indicator of how the probe unfolds.
Point of View
Never made public, and apparently went missing without triggering any formal inquiry under the previous government. The non-compliance of three of the four summoned officials is itself a story. If the Crime Branch cannot compel depositions, the probe risks becoming another slow-moving file — which would suit those who allegedly made the original report disappear in the first place.
NationPress
28 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission report?
It is the final report of a state-appointed judicial commission that investigated the 2008 Kandhamal communal violence, including the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. Retired Justice A.S. Naidu submitted the report to the Odisha government in December 2015, but it has never been made public.
Why has the Odisha Crime Branch been brought in?
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi ordered the Crime Branch to take over after the Commissionerate Police's existing investigation — which had already summoned four former bureaucrats — was deemed to require a higher-level probe. The Crime Branch is expected to register a fresh case and pursue the chain of custody of the missing report.
Who is V.K. Pandian and why is he relevant?
V.K. Pandian is a former IAS officer and close aide of BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik, who led Odisha for over two decades. He is among the four former bureaucrats summoned in connection with the disappearance of the commission report during the BJD regime, though he has not yet appeared before the police.
What happened in Kandhamal in 2008?
Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his followers were killed in an armed attack at the Jaleshpata Ashram in Tumudibandh, Kandhamal, on 23 August 2008. The killings triggered weeks of communal violence that reportedly claimed 40 lives and damaged 4,821 houses and 229 religious structures.
What is the current status of the investigation?
A case (No. 460/26) was registered at Capital Police Station, Bhubaneswar on 10 June 2026 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Of four summoned former officials, only Manoj Kumar Mishra has recorded his statement. The Crime Branch is now initiating a fresh case to formally assume the investigation.
