Odisha: Senior govt officer under vigilance scanner over DA charges

IANS May 16, 2025 238 views

A senior Odisha government officer, Asit Kumar Patra, has come under intense scrutiny after vigilance raids unearthed substantial assets allegedly disproportionate to his income. Patra, the Additional Block Development Officer in the Dharmasala Block, faces allegations as authorities discovered multiple properties and valuables. The Odisha Vigilance conducted comprehensive searches across several districts, uncovering substantial properties and wealth. These findings highlight ongoing vigilance efforts as similar cases continue to be registered, emphasizing a strong stance against corruption.

"As many as seven teams of Odisha Vigilance...conducted the search." - Odisha Vigilance Statement
Bhubaneswar, May 15: The Odisha Vigilance on Thursday unearthed assets worth crores during raids conducted at different places linked to a senior state government official on the charges of amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Key Points

1

Asit Kumar Patra's properties raided for disproportionate asset charges

2

Raids revealed multi-storeyed buildings, shopping complexes, plots, and cash

3

Odisha Vigilance involved aid from eight DSPs, nine Inspectors for the operation

4

The vigilance team received warrants from the Court of Special Judge, Cuttack

The senior officer, Asit Kumar Patra, is currently working as Additional Block Development Officer (ABDO), Dharmasala Block, Jajpur district.

“On the allegation of possession of assets disproportionate to the known sources of income, simultaneous house searches were conducted on the properties of Asit Kumar Patra, Addl. BDO, Dharmasala Block, Jajpur on May 15, 2025 at seven places in Jajpur, Cuttack, Bhadrak and Bhubaneswar (Khordha) districts,” informed the state vigilance on Thursday.

The anti-corruption wing of the Odisha government further stated that as many as seven teams of Odisha Vigilance, comprising eight Deputy Superintendents of Police, nine Inspectors, and other supporting staff, conducted the search on the strength of warrants issued by the Court of Special Judge, Vigilance, Cuttack on Thursday.

The places where the raids have been carried out include Patra’s native village at Garadeswar near Sundarimuhan in Jajpur, the official residential quarter and office room at Dharamshala of Jajapur, a relative’s house in Bhandaripokhari of Bhadrak district, etc.

The vigilance sleuths during the search found Patra in possession of three multi-storeyed buildings, a shopping complex in Jajpur, a two-BHK flat in Cuttack city, five high-value plots, including four plots in posh areas of Jajpur road.

The Technical Wing of Vigilance is conducting the measurement and valuation of the above buildings/flats/shopping complexes/plots to ascertain their actual market value.

Additionally, the officials unearthed cash of Rs 1,85,560, gold ornaments weighing 700 gms, bank and insurance deposits worth Rs 65 lakhs, two 2-wheelers and household articles worth over Rs 3.27 lakhs.

As per reports, in 2024, Odisha Vigilance registered 211 cases against 345 persons including 54 Class-I officers, 46 Class-II officers, 140 Class-III employees, two Class-IV employees, 19 other public servants and 84 private persons.

The 211 cases included 62 Disproportionate Assets (DA) cases, 96 trap cases and the rest of the corruption cases.

Reader Comments

R
Rajesh K.
This is just the tip of the iceberg! So many officers live lavish lifestyles on government salaries. Vigilance should conduct surprise checks on all Class-I officers across Odisha. Where there's smoke, there's fire 🔥
P
Priyanka M.
While corruption needs to be punished, we must also appreciate that 211 cases were registered last year. Shows the system is working to some extent. Hope the recovered money goes back to public welfare projects.
S
Suresh D.
As someone from Jajpur, I've seen how these officers behave like kings while common people suffer. 700g gold and 65 lakh deposits? On a BDO's salary? Shameful! Hope he gets maximum punishment.
A
Ananya P.
The real question is - who were the people giving bribes to this officer? They should also be exposed and punished. Corruption is a two-way street. 🙏
M
Manoj T.
I appreciate the vigilance department's work but request them to be faster. By the time they catch these officers, they've already enjoyed ill-gotten wealth for years. Need preventive measures too.
B
Biswajit N.
This is why common people lose faith in government systems. When officers earning ₹50-60k per month have crores in assets, how can we trust them to work for public good? System needs complete overhaul.

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Tags:
Disproportionate Assets Asit Kumar Patra Odisha Vigilance Government Corruption
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