Has Odisha IAS Officer Bishnupada Sethi Resigned? Handwritten Letter Fuels Suspense

Bhubaneswar: Hours after the CBI raid, a hand-written letter purportedly written by senior IAS Bishnupada Sethi started doing the rounds on social media on Tuesday.

In the letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, 1995-batch Odisha-cadre officer has reportedly written, “Tendering resignation as a mark of protest” while questioning the CBI raids without any FIR against him.

He further stated that his batchmate Hemant Sharma was recently promoted to the rank of additional chief secretary in the state government, while he was overlooked. “I do not think I will have any future in the government,” read the two-page resignation letter, referring to the CBI probe against him.

He also mentioned that his dignity and reputation have been damaged because of the raids.

Neither Sethi or the Chief Secretary office has confirmed whether this indeed is the authentic resignation letter.

THE CBI RAID

Earlier in the day, the senior IAS officer had confronted a CBI team during a search of his official residence in Bhubaneswar in connection with a Rs 10 lakh bribery case.

Sethi claimed that he was being harassed despite no FIR being filed against him. “The CBI officials carried out a search at my residence, even though there is no FIR against me. They are unnecessarily harassing me,” Sethi told reporters.

He further alleged that the search was being conducted without prior notice and their eight-member team did not include a woman officer while his wife was alone at home.

THE CASE & CBI SUMMONS

Sources indicate Sethi had previously failed to respond to CBI summons related to the bribery case in which Bridge and Roof Company (India) Limited group general manager Chanchal Mukherjee was arrested last year.

Santosh Moharana, director of Bhubaneswar-based Penta A Studio Private Ltd, along with middleman Debadutta Mohapatra and another individual were also arrested in connection with the case.

Three days after the FIR and the arrests, the CBI on December 10 sent a notice to Sethi to appear before the CBI Investigating Officer. The notice said, “It is learnt that you are acquainted with some important and relevant facts and circumstances of the instant CBI case, which are required to be ascertained from you”.

The drivers of the IAS officer have already been quizzed by the CBI. It is not clear what exactly the central agency wants to ascertain from the IAS officer.

Sources said on October 19, 2024, Bisnupada Sethi, who was then the Principal Secretary of ST & SC Development Dept, had written to the CMD of Bridge & Roof Co regarding assignment of projects for upgradation of an Ashram school to High School & upgradation of High School to Higher secondary school. The two upgradation projects are worth Rs 37 crores

It is not clear whether these school upgradation projects have anything to do with the bribery case and arrests made by the CBI.