In a dramatic turn of events, Bishnupada Sethi resigned, alleging harassment following a CBI raid at his residence
OdishaPlus Bureau
Senior IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi resigned from his service on Tuesday, citing harassment, following a raid by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at his official residence in connection with Rs 10 lakh bribery case.
The 1995-batch Odisha-cadre officer, currently serving as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the General Administration and Public Grievance Department, submitted his resignation to the state government, calling it a ‘mark of protest.’
His handwritten letter to Odisha Chief Secretary fueled suspense. In the letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, the senior IAS officer has written, “Tendering resignation as a mark of protest.”
“I have been a proud member of The Indian Administrative Service of 1995 batch and have demonstrated my sincerity, honesty in my long career of 30 years. Today CBI team entered my house and doing searches in several places including where my daughter is studying. I have lost all the name and fame earned so far. Incidentally there is no FIR against me. I am no long related to the bribery case against me. I have no connection with Chanchal Mukherjee of B & R Ltd.”
The CBI team, consisting of eight officials from Delhi, conducted the search at Sethi’s residence despite no FIR being lodged against him.
Speaking to the media, Sethi alleged, “The CBI officials raided my house without prior notice. There were no female officers in the team, even though my wife was the only woman present. This is an act of harassment.”
The case involves the arrest of Chanchal Mukherjee, the Group General Manager of Bridge and Roof Company (India) Limited on December 7, 2024. Mukherjee was allegedly caught while accepting a bribe from Santosh Moharana, the Director of Bhubaneswar-based Penta A Studio Private Ltd. along with the middleman Debadutta Mohapatra.
The CBI reportedly intercepted Rs 10 lakh in cash and gold jewellery being handed over to Mukherjee to influence tender decisions.
Following these arrests, the CBI summoned Sethi for interrogation on December 10, stating that he was ‘acquainted with some important and relevant facts of the case.’ However, he reportedly failed to appear before the agency.
During the recent search, the CBI allegedly found a letter from Bridge and Roof Company’s East Coastal General Manager B.K. Singh, dated December 4, addressed to the private secretary of the Principal Secretary of the ST & SC Development Department. The letter reportedly sought a meeting with Sethi on December 5. The next day, Rs 10 lakh in hard cash was seized from the hotel in Bhubaneswar.
Sethi has strongly denied any links to the company or the bribery case, stating, “I have no connection with Bridge and Roof Company or any of the officials. I am being unfairly targeted.”
He further added that he was willing to resign from his job in protest against the alleged harassment.
His wife also spoke out against the raids claiming, “We are being falsely implicated.”
Apart from the CBI raid in Bhubaneswar, a four-member vigilance team also searched Sethi’s ancenstral home in Soharia, Bhograi block in Balasore district.
Sethi’s resignation comes amid increasing scrutiny of senior bureaucrats in Odisha. He alleged that he was being subjected to undue pressure due to his Dalit background, stating that the situation was particularly challenging for him as a Scheduled Caste (SC) officer. Following the initial summons by CBI, the Odisha government had immediately removed Sethi from three key posts – Principal Secretary of the Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department, ST & SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department, and Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Odia Language, Literature & Culture Department.
