Paralakhemundi: Former Paralakhemundi Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sangram Keshari Behera has surrendered before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Court in Paralakhemundi in connection with the 2021 death of Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Soumyaranjan Mohapatra.
The court rejected his bail plea and remanded him to judicial custody. Sources said Behera has also moved the district court seeking bail, where legal proceedings are underway.
The Orissa High Court had July 14 granted Behera two weeks to surrender before the trial court after dismissing his petition seeking to quash the proceedings.
Mohapatra suffered severe burn injuries at his official residence in Paralakhemundi July 12, 2021, and died the following day while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kataka.
His father later lodged a complaint alleging a conspiracy to murder him, naming Mohapatra’s wife, Bidyabharati Panda, Behera and cook Manmath Kumbha.
While the Crime Branch initially filed charges under Sections 285 and 304A of the Indian Penal Code against Panda, Mohapatra’s father challenged the findings through a protest petition.
Acting on the plea, the SDJM court directed that murder and criminal conspiracy charges under Sections 302 and 120B be tried against the three accused.
The Orissa High Court subsequently allowed the trial to proceed against Behera and Kumbha, while proceedings related to Panda’s petition remain pending.
Behera’s surrender marks a significant development in the long-running case, which has attracted widespread public attention since 2021.
