Odisha engineer arrested for forging Deputy Speaker's signature to get transfer
Synopsis
An Odisha government engineer allegedly forged the signature of the state's Deputy Speaker — on official letterhead — just to engineer his own transfer. The case exposes a brazen misuse of a constitutional office and raises questions about how forged documents cleared departmental checks before the fraud was detected.
Key Takeaways
Laxman Hembram , AEE of Harichandanpur block , Keonjhar , was arrested in Bhubaneswar on 17 June 2026 .
He allegedly forged the signature of Deputy Speaker Bhabani Shankar Bhoi and misused his official D.O.
Pad to seek a transfer to Sundargarh district .
A second engineer, Monalisa Behera of Banspal block , is also named in the complaint; her arrest has not been confirmed.
The case is registered under Sections 319(2), 336(3), 340(2), 3(5), 318(4) and 338 of the BNS and Section 66(C) of the IT Act .
The complaint was filed by Niranjan Kumar Sha , Private Secretary to the Deputy Speaker, on 13 June 2026 .
Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police on Wednesday, 17 June arrested Laxman Hembram, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) of Harichandanpur block in Keonjhar district, on charges of forging the signature of Deputy Speaker Bhabani Shankar Bhoi to fraudulently secure his own transfer to Sundargarh district. The arrest was made in connection with Capital Police Station Case No. 473/26, registered on 13 June 2026.
How the Forgery Came to Light
The case was set in motion by a formal complaint filed by Niranjan Kumar Sha, Private Secretary to the Deputy Speaker, addressed to the Inspector-in-Charge of Capital Police Station. Sha alleged that Hembram and a second engineer, Monalisa Behera, AEE of Banspal block, had jointly forged the Deputy Speaker's signature, fabricated official documents, and misused his official D.O. Pad — all without authorisation from the Deputy Speaker's office.
According to Sha's complaint, the forged documents were submitted before the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department with the intent of securing transfers — Hembram to Bargaon block and Behera to Sadar block, both in Sundargarh district. 'The documents were neither issued nor authorised by the office of the Deputy Speaker,' Sha stated in his letter.
Charges Filed and Sections Invoked
Ramesh Chandra Bisoi, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Zone-I, confirmed the arrest while speaking to media on Wednesday. He said the case has been registered under Sections 319(2), 336(3), 340(2), 3(5), 318(4) and 338 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 66(C) of the Information Technology Act.
Sha's complaint further alleged that the accused violated provisions of the IT Act and misused government service rules. The offences cited include forgery, fabrication of official records, use of forged documents as genuine, cheating, impersonation, criminal conspiracy, and misuse of government office.
What the Accused Allegedly Did
According to the complaint, the two engineers allegedly created forged documents bearing the Deputy Speaker's signature and official letterhead, then submitted them to a government department as authentic correspondence. The scheme, if proven, represents a deliberate exploitation of a constitutional office to manipulate the state's administrative transfer process.
Notably, only Hembram has been arrested so far. The status of action against Behera, the second named accused, has not been officially confirmed as of the time of this report.
What Happens Next
With Hembram in custody, investigators are expected to examine the forged documents and trace the full chain of events, including whether the transfer orders were acted upon by the department. The case is likely to draw scrutiny over internal verification processes within the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department — and whether such forgeries can be detected before orders are processed.
Point of View
Informal requests but fabricated official documents on the Deputy Speaker's letterhead, submitted to a government department as genuine. That the fraud apparently progressed far enough to warrant departmental submission before being caught points to a verification gap in how transfer requests are authenticated. The invocation of the IT Act alongside BNS provisions signals that investigators believe digital tools may have been used in the fabrication — a detail worth watching as the probe develops. With one accused still at large, the full scope of the conspiracy remains open.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Laxman Hembram and why was he arrested?
Laxman Hembram is an Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) posted at Harichandanpur block in Keonjhar district, Odisha. He was arrested on 17 June 2026 for allegedly forging the signature of Deputy Speaker Bhabani Shankar Bhoi on official documents to secure his transfer to Sundargarh district.
What charges have been filed in the case?
The case is registered under Sections 319(2), 336(3), 340(2), 3(5), 318(4) and 338 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66(C) of the Information Technology Act. The offences include forgery, fabrication of records, use of forged documents, cheating, impersonation, and criminal conspiracy.
Who else is named in the complaint?
Monalisa Behera, AEE of Banspal block, is the second person named in the complaint filed by the Deputy Speaker's Private Secretary. She allegedly sought a transfer to Sadar block, Sundargarh, through the same forged documents. Her arrest has not been officially confirmed as of this report.
How was the forgery discovered?
The fraud came to light after Niranjan Kumar Sha, Private Secretary to Deputy Speaker Bhabani Shankar Bhoi, found that documents bearing the Deputy Speaker's signature and official D.O. Pad had been submitted to the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department without any authorisation from the Deputy Speaker's office.
What department received the forged documents?
The forged documents were submitted to the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department in Odisha, with the intent of processing transfer orders for both accused engineers to blocks in Sundargarh district.
