Bidya Bharati Remanded To 13-Day Judicial Custody In ACF Death Case .

Paralakhemundi,02/11(PPT): Bidya Bharati Panda, wife of deceased Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, was on Monday remanded to 13 days of judicial custody after surrendering before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Court in Paralakhemundi. The court rejected her bail application and ordered judicial remand, her lawyer, Sisir Kumar Jena, said. Her surrender came two days after the Orissa High Court rejected her anticipatory bail plea on October 31. The case relates to the death of Soumya Ranjan, who sustained nearly 80 per cent burn injuries under mysterious circumstances at his official residence in Paralakhemundi, Gajapati district, on July 11, 2021. He was initially admitted to a hospital and later shifted to Cuttack for advanced treatment, but succumbed to his injuries. On July 14, 2021, his family lodged a complaint alleging murder and naming his wife Bidya Bharati Panda, the then Gajapati Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sangram Behera and cook Manmath Kumbha as accused. In August 2021, the Odisha Government handed over the investigation to the Crime Branch in view of the sensitivity of the case. Her surrender marks a fresh development in the high-profile case, which has continued to attract public attention across Odisha since the ACF’s death.