Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police has summoned retired IAS officer Upendra Nath Behera (IAS:1983:OR) in connection with the alleged missing files case from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
Behera has been asked to appear before the Zone-I Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) at 11 am on July 26 for questioning.
The notice, issued by investigating officer Bipin Bihari Hota of Capital Police Station, says the investigation indicates that Behera may be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case.
He has also been directed to bring any documents, records, electronic devices or other material in his possession or control that may be relevant to the investigation.
Behera served as Additional Chief Secretary to then Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik from November 2015 to January 2017.
The police have also issued a fresh notice to former Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Rajesh Verma (IAS:1987:OR). He has been asked to appear for questioning by July 30.
Verma was earlier directed to appear before the investigating agency on Wednesday. However, he did not turn up.
Behera is the fourth person linked to the previous BJD government to be summoned in the case. Earlier this week, former IAS officer and Naveen Patnaik’s close aide VK Pandian (IAS:2000:OR) was also called for questioning.
The investigation relates to the disappearance of several files from the Chief Minister’s Office. These include the Justice AS Naidu Commission report on the 2008 Kandhamal riots and the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) inquiry report into the 2016 SUM Hospital fire tragedy.
The police are continuing the investigation to trace the missing records and determine the circumstances in which they went missing.
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