The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, 11 June launched a sharp political offensive against the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) after an FIR was registered at Capital Police Station, Bhubaneswar, over the alleged disappearance of two key inquiry commission reports from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) during the previous BJD administration. The missing documents relate to two of Odisha's most sensitive tragedies — the 2008 Jaleshpeta Ashram killings and the 2016 SUM Hospital fire.

What Reports Have Gone Missing

According to a complaint filed by Joint Secretary to the Government (Home Department) Sarat Chandra Marandi, the two untraceable documents are the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission report on the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and his disciples at Jaleshpeta Ashram in Kandhamal district in 2008, and the RDC inquiry report on the fire tragedy at SUM Hospital and Medical College, Bhubaneswar in 2016. A case numbered 460/26 was lodged on Wednesday at Capital Police Station.

What the Government Said

Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, speaking to reporters on Thursday, said the current government had initiated a review of inquiry commission reports after assuming office and discovered the two documents were absent from official records. He stated that no evidence existed to show the files had ever been returned from the 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,' Pujari said.

He further alleged that the Home Secretary had written multiple times to the then Chief Minister — now the Leader of Opposition — requesting the return of the reports, and that the former Chief Minister had assured their return once traced. That assurance, Pujari said, was never fulfilled.

BJP's Allegation: Deliberate Concealment

'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,' Pujari alleged.

The minister expressed hope that a thorough police investigation would lead to the successful recovery of both reports. The BJP's framing — that the documents were deliberately withheld — marks a significant escalation in post-regime accountability politics in Odisha.

Background and Significance

The Justice A.S. Naidu Commission was constituted to probe the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and his disciples, a communally sensitive incident that triggered widespread violence in Kandhamal. The RDC inquiry examined the SUM Hospital fire of 2016, which claimed multiple lives and raised serious questions about institutional safety standards. Both cases remain politically and legally significant. Notably, this is not the first time a change of government in India has been followed by allegations of file tampering or destruction — such accusations have surfaced in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and West Bengal after regime transitions in recent years.

What Happens Next

With the FIR now registered, Capital Police Station is expected to initiate a formal investigation. The outcome could have significant legal and political consequences for former BJD functionaries. The BJP is likely to use the issue to sustain pressure on the opposition ahead of future electoral cycles in Odisha.