Bhubaneswar: Simulia MLA Padma Lochan Panda today demanded a fresh investigation into the mysterious death of Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, which occurred in 2021.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Odisha Assembly, Panda urged authorities to conduct a proper inquiry and ensure justice for Soumya Ranjan's family. The legislator also questioned the role of the then Forest Minister and Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) in the case.

Panda demanded that the case files be reopened and thoroughly examined once again.

Notably, Soumya Ranjan was found in critical condition with burn injuries at his residence in Paralakhemundi on July 12, 2021. He succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Cuttack the next day.

On July 14, 2021, his family lodged a complaint against former Gajapati DFO Sangram Behera, Soumya Ranjan's wife Bidya Bharati, and cook Manmath Kumbha, alleging that he was murdered.

Considering the gravity of the incident, the state government had handed over the probe to the Crime Branch on August 14, 2021.

On October 8, 2021, the Crime Branch gave a clean chit to Behera and Kumbha but booked Bidya Bharati under sections 304-A (causing death by negligence) and 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter) of the IPC.

The agency termed the incident as an ‘accidental death’, making it clear that Behera and Kumbha had no role in it. Further, the Crime Branch said that the agency, during the probe, found no evidence of any relation between the DFO and Bidya Bharati.