Death Of Forest Officer In Odisha’s Gajapati Takes New Turn

Paralakhemundi: The death of the Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) of Gajapati district, Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, due to burn injuries at a private hospital in Cuttack on Tuesday, took a new turn as his father raised doubt over the role of the officer’s wife in the incident.

“When I asked her how the mishap occurred, she feigned ignorance. I am sure she has killed my son with the help of someone,” Soumya’s father Abhimanyu Mohapatra said.

Speaking to the media in Paralakhemundi town, the deceased ACF’s uncle Sitikantha Panda questioned why only Soumya sustained severe burns when he and his wife were present in the house. “I suspect that my nephew was burnt alive either by his wife or by another person,” he said.

He further said the forest officer had recently informed him and his aunt over the phone that he was being tortured by his wife.

According to Paralakhemundi Town Police sources, Soumya was present along with his wife at his official residence on Monday night when the locals rushed to his house after hearing his wife’s screaming for help. They found Soumya in a critical condition with over 80 per cent burn injuries.

The locals admitted Soumya to the district headquarters hospital from where he was taken to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur. Later, he was shifted to a private hospital in Cuttack where he died while undergoing treatment on Tuesday morning.

Soumya was married in December last year.

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