Bhubaneswar: In a shocking development, senior IPS officer and director of the state Vigilance, Debasis Panigrahi, succumbed to Covid-19 at a hospital in Kolkata, sources said Friday.
Panigrahi was initially admitted to the Ashwini Covid Hospital in Cuttack May 29. He was airlifted to Kolkata from the private hospital June 8 as he required ECMO support after his health deteriorated. Panigrahi had developed severe health complications.
Panigrahi joined the Indian Police Service in 1991 and was allotted the Odisha cadre. He served as the superintendent of police of major districts such as Keonjhar, Puri, Ganjam and Cuttack. He also served as the DIG of Police (Administration), Special Secretary, Home department, IG of Police (Modernisation) and IG of Police (Personnel) and Additional DG of Police (Personnel) at the state police headquarters in Cuttack.
Panigrahi was a recipient of the prestigious ‘Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award’ for short stories for the year 2002.