Bhubaneswar: Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati Saturday held a meeting with Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh to review and strengthen security arrangements at Lok Bhavan.
The meeting came a day after two senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers were allegedly forcibly evicted from the premises. A post on the Governor’s official X handle stated, “S Dev Datta Singh, Commissioner of Police, called on Hon’ble Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati at Lok Bhavan today.
The discussion focused on existing security and protocol arrangements and the need for necessary upgrades. Ensuring the security of the Lok Bhavan estate requires the use of new-age technology and adequate manpower for seamless management of programmes and protocol.”
The review comes in the wake of a controversy triggered by a complaint from D. Sudhakara Rao, Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax in Odisha. He alleged that April 16, two officers—Manish Kumar (2015 batch) and Satya Prakash Mishra (2023 batch)— were forcibly escorted from the Governor’s residence in a police vehicle by security staff at the direction of the ADC (police) and taken to the Capital police station.
Following the incident, the Governor’s office has set up a committee to inquire into the alleged misconduct, while the Commissionerate Police has also initiated a separate probe.