Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday stated that the government would investigate the alleged disappearance of two inquiry commission reports from the chief minister's office (CMO) during the tenure of former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, provided specific complaints are received.
Majhi's remarks came in response to a claim made by Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan in a television interview on Saturday, where he alleged that the crucial reports went missing from the CMO while Patnaik was in office.
“If we receive any complaint regarding the missing files, we will investigate it,” Majhi told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Khurda.
Law Minister's Allegations
During the television interview, Harichandan asserted that the government would look into the matter and fix accountability. “Two highly crucial inquiry commission reports went missing during Naveen Patnaik’s regime from his office. Now, we will decide how to proceed. The chief minister will take a call. Appropriate action will be taken at the right time, and all those involved will be held accountable,” he told the channel. However, the minister did not specify which commissions or incidents the reports pertained to.
BJP MLA's Accusations
Khurda's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Prasanta Kumar Jagadev alleged that the reports disappeared when Arun Kumar Sahoo was the law minister. “The perpetrators will be exposed. They will face action,” Jagadev said.
BJD's Response
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) as well as former minister Sahoo dismissed the charges, demanding clarity from the government. “We condemn the law minister’s statement. The government must explain details about the reports and whether they were lost or deliberately made to vanish to protect someone,” Sahoo said.
The BJD alleged that if any file is missing, it must have happened during the current regime. Sahoo argued that every government file passes through a defined process, from section officer to secretary, chief secretary, minister, and finally the CMO, with each stage recorded. “At what stage did these files go missing? What does the file movement register show? Has the CCTV footage been examined? Was the system functioning properly? The government must answer all these questions,” Sahoo said.
