The Commissionerate Police, Bhubaneswar, on Thursday, 24 July 2026, served a notice on retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Upendra Nath Behera, directing him to appear before the investigating officer in connection with the alleged disappearance of two high-profile inquiry reports from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) during the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government. The move came a day after a similar notice was issued to former bureaucrat and ex-Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's close aide V.K. Pandian.

What the Case Is About

The investigation centres on case number 460/26, registered at the Capital Police Station in Bhubaneswar, following a complaint by a senior official of the state Home Department. According to the complaint, two significant inquiry reports have gone missing from the CMO.

The first is the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission report on the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others at Jaleshpeta Ashram in Kandhamal district in 2008. The second is the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) inquiry report into the 2016 fire tragedy at IMS and SUM Hospital and Medical College in Bhubaneswar — a blaze that drew national attention and raised serious questions about institutional accountability.

Notice Details and What Behera Must Do

The notice issued by the investigating officer states that, based on information gathered during the probe, Behera 'may be acquainted with the facts and circumstances' of the case. He has been directed to appear before the Office of ACP Zone I, Bhubaneswar UPD, on 26 July 2026 at 11 a.m. for examination and to extend full cooperation.

He has also been instructed to bring any documents, records, electronic devices, or other materials relevant to the investigation that may be in his possession or under his control.

Rajesh Verma Served Fresh Notice After Non-Compliance

In a parallel development, a fresh notice has been served on former IAS officer Rajesh Verma, directing him to appear before the police at the Office of ACP Zone I by 30 July 2026. Verma had previously been asked to appear on 22 July but reportedly failed to comply.

Earlier in the investigation, notices had been served on both Verma and former Odisha IT Secretary Manoj Kumar Mishra. Mishra appeared before the investigating officer on 18 July and recorded his statement.

A Widening Probe Into the Previous BJD Regime

The escalating notices signal a widening investigation into the functioning of the CMO under the BJD government, which ruled Odisha for over two decades before losing power. The alleged disappearance of reports on two of the state's most sensitive incidents — a communal killing and a hospital fire that claimed multiple lives — has drawn political scrutiny.

Notably, this is the third set of notices issued in the case within weeks, suggesting investigators are systematically working through the chain of officials who held relevant positions during the period in question. How the summoned officers respond — and what documents they produce — is expected to shape the next phase of the inquiry.