Odisha police summon VK Pandian over missing CMO files

Odisha police have summoned former senior bureaucrat V. Karthikeya Pandian to appear for questioning on July 25 as part of a criminal investigation into the alleged disappearance of two sensitive inquiry reports from the state's Chief Minister's Office. The notice, issued by the Capital Police Station in Bhubaneswar on July 22, directs Pandian, a close aide of former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, to appear before an assistant commissioner of police and bring any relevant documents or electronic devices.

The case, registered on June 10 under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, centers on two files that went missing during the transition of government following the 2024 state elections. The files contain the final report of the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission, which investigated the 2008 murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and the subsequent communal violence in Kandhamal district, and a separate inquiry report into the 2016 Sum Hospital fire incident.

According to the police notice, investigators believe Pandian may be acquainted with facts related to the case. Pandian served as private secretary to Patnaik and was a key administrative figure during the previous Biju...