The Lokayukta has issued a notice to the Additional Director General, Crime Branch asking him to submit a detailed report on inquiry into the Ghangapatna land scam by October 17, 2019 and fixed October 21 as the next date of hearing.
The Lokayukta issued this notice on a petition filed by RTI activist Pradip Pradhan on August 29, 2019. Pradhan alleged that the Ghangaptana land scam, which occurred in 2014, has been suppressed by the Crime Branch at the direction of Chief Minister.
In August 2014, local people and media had exposed that acres of leased land of tribal people had been illegally acquired by late Kalpataru Das and his MLA son Pranab Balabantaray and daughter of BJP MLA KV Singh Deo and many powerful people connected with the BJD in the Ghangapatana area under Bhubaneswar tehsil.
Opposition political parties and civil society groups took to the streets demanding CBI inquiry into the scam. Subsequently, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had on August 28, 2014 directed the CB to conduct a probe into the scam and submit its report within two months.
During that time, the Tehsildar, in his report to the Revenue Department, had pointed out large-scale irregularities in the sale and purchase of land in Ghangapatana.
After a few days of inquiry and arrests of some poor tribal leaseholders and, the Revenue Department on October 15, 2014 claimed that 76 acres of illegally acquired land had been returned to the Government fold.
Pradhan alleged that the Crime Branch arrested tribal leaseholders and some Government officials, but did not take any action against politicians involved in the scam.
