Even as controversy over deteriorating law and order in the wake of Biranchi Das murder continued to thicken, the Orissa Government on Friday effected a reshuffle among senior rank police by transferring three Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCP) from the Commissionerate of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar cities.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also decided to hand over the case pertaining to allegations of unholy nexus between officials and criminals to the Lok Pal following submission of a report by Director-General of Police Gopal Chandra Nanda.
As per the sources in the Chief Minister’s Office, Amitabh Thakur, DCP of Bhubaneswar, has been posted as Assistant Inspector General of Police at State Police Headquarters at Cuttack. Similarly, Soumendra Priyadarshi, Cuttack DCP, has been transferred as Keonjhar Superintendent of Police. P. Shainy, who was DCP commissionerate (Headquarter), has been posted as Bolangir SP.
Besides, five other IPS officials were reshuffled in the exercise. Bolangir SP, Himanshu Lal, who has been in the limelight following cracking of fake medicine racket and crime operation of dreaded gangster Haider, will hold the important assignment of DCP of Bhubaneswar.
Similarly, P. Praveen Kumar, Sundargarh SP, will replace Mr. Priyadarshi as DCP Cuttack. Rajesh Kumar, who was SP of Nayagarh when the naxalites attacked police establishments will take the charge as DCP, Commissionerate (Headquarter).
Two other changes were made outside the twin city Commissionerate. Narasingha Bhol, who was in Police Headquarter, will take charge of SP of Sundargargarh district. Similarly, Yatindra Koyal, the Keonjhar SP, has been transferred to Nayagarh.
A major reshuffle in Commissionerate police was expected following mounting pressure on police administration for its failure to nab killer of Biranchi Das, former coach of child marathoner Buddhia Singh.
State Home Secretary Tarun Kanti Mishra, however, termed the transfer as routine exercise. The DGP had not given any specific instance with regard to the allegation of police-criminal link, he said.
The sword fell on four inspectors of different police stations. The investigating officer of the much-hyped murder case, Bhawani Patnaik, has been transferred to Bhadrak district. Tapan Patnaik of Chandrasekharpur police has been sent to Nayagarh district while Somanath Dixit of Old Town police station has been posted in Dhenkanal district. R. P Behera, Inspector-in-Charge of Nayapalli police station, has been sent to Koraput district.
Meanwhile, police continued to grope in dark in the investigation of Biranchi Das murder case. Although more than 120 hours passed, no headway had been made. An audiotape too surfaced on Friday in which the gangster was heard talking to a music video actress about Biranchi Das, a senior IAS officer and controversial actress Leslie Tripathy.