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Journalism of Courage
Former Union steel minister Braja Kishore Tripathy’s allegation that Rs 45 lakh was transferred from BJD’s official account to that of jailed Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda in April 2014 has turned out to be hollow after police found that the account holder was a Gopalpur ports employee with the same name as the Maoist leader.
On Tuesday, Tripathy had alleged that Rs 45 lakh was transferred from BJD’s account number 10091755246 in the State Bank of India’s Bhubaneswar Main branch to Panda’s ICICI Bank account number 203601501728 in Chhatrapur town of Ganjam district.
He also alleged that Rs 1 lakh was transferred to Panda’s account on April 9, 2014 through cheque.
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However, inquiries by police officials in Chhatrapur revealed that the account holder Sabyasachi Panda is a resident of Kamapalli area of Berhampur town and is a casual employee of Gopalpur ports. The account holder’s father’s name has been mentioned as Chita Ranjan Panda. The account currently has a balance of Rs 1,174.
Panda said no transaction of Rs 45 lakh to his account ever took place. He said besides working with Gopalpur ports, he also runs a small business. “Though the account number and name cited by Tripathy is correct, the rest are all wrong,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Maoist leader has denied having received any money from the BJD.
“I have never had any bank account. The only account through which my financial transactions are held is the name of Superintendent, Berhampur circle jail,” said Panda.
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