Bhubaneswar, August 2: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has directed suspension of IFS officer Sangram Keshari Behera after he was remanded to judicial custody in connection with the high-profile death of Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra in 2021.

The development came after Behera surrendered before the SDJM court at Paralakhemundi in Gajapati district on Monday.

Behera, a 2010-batch IFS officer, is currently posted as Director (Commercial) in Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC). He was serving as the Gajapati DFO at the time of the incident.

On July 27 (Monday), Behera appeared before the SDJM court at Paralakhemundi following a series of legal setbacks, including the issuance of non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against him. As per the Orissa High Court order, after surrendering, he moved a bail application before the SDJM court, which was rejected. He later approached the District and Sessions Court with a fresh bail plea.

The Orissa High Court had July 14 granted Behera two weeks to surrender before the trial court after dismissing his petition seeking to quash the proceedings.

The case dates back to July 11, 2021 when OFS officer Soumya, sustained nearly 90 per cent burn injuries under mysterious circumstances at his official residence in Paralakhemundi and died the following day while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kataka.

On July 14, 2021, the deceased father Abhiram Mohapatra lodged a police complaint alleging murder and named then Gajapati DFO Behera, Soumya’s wife Bidya Bharati Panda, and cook Manmath Kumbha as accused.

The incident triggered widespread outrage across the State. Considering the sensitivity of the case, the State Government handed over the investigation to the CID Crime Branch in August 2021.

Although the Crime Branch initially gave Behera a clean chit, Soumya’s father challenged the same through a protest petition.

Acting on the petition, the SDJM court at Paralakhemundi took cognisance of the matter and issued summons to the accused and directed that murder and criminal conspiracy charges under Sections 302 and 120B be tried against the three accused, including Behera.

After Behera failed to appear despite repeated summons, the court issued NBWs non-bailable warrants against him. In July 2025, the Orissa High Court dismissed also petitions filed by Behera and Bidya Bharati challenging the SDJM’s order directing that they face trial for murder.

The High Court subsequently rejected Behera’s anticipatory bail plea in October 2025 and directed him to surrender before the trial court.

The HC also subsequently allowed the trial to proceed against Behera and Kumbha, while proceedings related to Panda’s petition remain pending.