The alleged mistreatment of two IRS officers at Odisha Lok Bhavan has spiralled into a major controversy, with the BJD on Saturday calling for strict action against the ADC and a thorough probe into the matter.
Addressing a press conference, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty stated that the incident has brought disrepute to the state, alleging that the two civil servants were subjected to mistreatment by security personnel.
“Since the incident allegedly took place at the instruction of the aide-de-camp (ADC), he should be immediately placed under suspension before the inquiry report is submitted,” Mohanty demanded.
In a letter to the commissioner-cum-secretary to the Governor, Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax D. Sudhakara Rao stated that two Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers who accompanied him to Lok Bhavan on Thursday were subjected to “unwarranted behaviour” by the staff.
Rao, who took office on April 13, had arrived to meet Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, while the two accompanying officers were waiting outside, according to the complaint.
Mohanty further claimed that the officers were allegedly forcibly removed from the premises by Lok Bhavan staff and the ADC – an IPS officer of the 2021 batch – before being taken to the Capital police station.
The Lok Bhavan secretariat has since constituted a four-member panel of senior officers to investigate the incident.
Meanwhile, Governor Kambhampati held discussions on Saturday with Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh at Lok Bhavan, focusing on strengthening security and protocol arrangements in the wake of the April 16 incident involving the two senior IRS officers.
In a post on X, the governor said the discussion focused on upgrading security systems using modern technology and ensuring adequate manpower for smooth management of official programmes and protocol.
