Former Malkangiri Collector not guilty in PA’s death case; says HC

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has announced Odisha cadre IAS officer Manish Agrawal not guilty in the mysterious death of his personal assistant (PA) during his tenure as Malkangiri Collector in 2019.

According to reports, Debnarayan Panda, personal assistant to the then Malkangiri Collector Manish Agrawal, went missing from his office on December 27, 2019. Later, his body was recovered from Satiguda dam in Malkangiri. The police initially registered a suicide case and later an unnatural death case in this connection.

However, the deceased’s wife alleged that he might have been murdered. Panda’s wife had filed a case in this regard at the court of Malkangiri Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM).

Based on the complaint, a murder FIR was lodged against Agrawal and three others. The Odisha Police had also launched a CID-Crime Branch probe into the incident.

Following the complaint, Agrawal moved to the Orissa HC. Advocate Ashish Mishra was pleading the case on behalf of the Manish Agrawal, IAS.