ACF Soumya Ranjan death case: Former Gajapati DFO Sangram Keshari Behera surrenders before court

Bhubaneswar: In a latest development in the death case of Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Soumya Ranjan, former Paralakhemundi Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sangram Behera has surrendered before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court on Monday.

Notably, the ACF Soumya Ranjan Mahapatra mysteriously suffered severe burn injuries at his official residence in Paralakhemundi, Gajapati district on July 11, 2026. Subsequently, he died while receiving treatment at hospital on July 12, 2021.

However, his family members alleged foul play and demands a thorough investigation. The family mainly alleged his wife, Vidyabharati Panda, and then DFO Sangram Behera as the main culprit behind his death.

Soumya Ranjan’s family members had filed a case at Paralakhemundi alleging that he was murdered by Bidya Bharati Panda, Sangram Keshari Behera and Manmath Kumbha. They also had claimed that there was extramarital affair between the DFO and Bidya Bharati.

The incident had triggered widespread public outrage, which led to an extensive probe into the case.

Following the investigation, a criminal case was registered against three accused, former DFO Sangram Behera, Soumya’s wife Vidyabharati Panda, and cook Manmath Kumbha. The case has remained one of Odisha’s most closely watched criminal investigations over the past several years.

Taking a serious note of the incident, the Odisha government on August 14, 2021 handed over the case to the Crime Branch, which on October 8, 2021 gave clean chit to the accused persons. However, the SDJM court took cognisance of the murder complaint in April 2023 and summoned all the three accused persons.