Odisha Vigilance Cracks Down on Corruption: Top OAS Officer and Two Others Arrested in Bribe Cases
In a major crackdown on corruption in Odisha, the state Vigilance department arrested three government officials on Friday, including a high-ranking Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officer who topped his batch in 2019. These separate cases highlight ongoing efforts to fight bribery and misuse of public funds in the state.
OAS Topper Caught Taking Rs 15,000 Bribe for Land Conversion
Aswini Kumar Panda, an OAS officer and Tahasildar of Bamra in Sambalpur district, landed in hot water after Vigilance officials nabbed him red-handed. Panda demanded a Rs 20,000 bribe from a complainant to convert agricultural land to homestead land and issue the Records of Rights (RoRs). When the man couldn’t pay the full amount, Panda slashed it to Rs 15,000 but warned he wouldn’t process the mutation case otherwise.
The complainant, fed up after waiting a month, tipped off the Vigilance team. Officers set up a trap and caught Panda accepting the Rs 15,000 bribe in his office through his driver, P. Praveen Kumar. They recovered the entire amount on the spot.
Raids followed at Panda’s residence on May-Fair Road in Bhubaneswar, his PWD quarters in Bamra, and his office. Cops seized Rs 4.73 lakh in cash from his Bhubaneswar home. Both Panda and his driver now face court after their arrest. Interestingly, Panda joined as a Training Reserve Officer in Balasore in 2021 after topping the 2019 Odisha Civil Services exam. He took charge as Bamra Tahasildar on July 1 this year.
District Labour Officer Busted for Rs 6,000 Bribe from Poor Workers
In another Odisha corruption case, Chittaranjan Rout, District Labour Officer in Nayagarh, got arrested for demanding Rs 6,000 from 20 daily wage workers to issue their labour cards. Rout stalled the process for nearly a year until one frustrated worker complained to Vigilance.
Officials caught him accepting the bribe on Friday. This incident shows how low-level corruption hits the poorest hardest, delaying essential documents for daily wagers relying on government schemes.
Ex-Panchayat Officer Nabbed for Stealing Old Age Pension Funds
Vigilance sleuths also arrested Puspita Mahakud, former Panchayat Executive Officer of Luhasila Gram Panchayat in Mayurbhanj’s Bijatola block. She faces charges of misappropriating over Rs 5.68 lakh meant for senior citizens’ old age pension. Instead of distributing the funds to needy elderly folks, Mahakud pocketed the money, robbing vulnerable people of their rightful support.
These arrests by Odisha Vigilance underscore the state’s zero-tolerance push against corruption in government offices. Investigations continue, and the cases will head to court soon. Stay tuned for updates on these Odisha bribery cases as more details emerge.
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