Showcause notice on Baliguda forest officer over elephant death probe

Berhampur: The govt has issued a show-cause notice to Baliguda divisional forest officer (DFO) Ghanashyam Mahanta in Kandhamal district for alleged negligence in the inquiry into the death of an elephant in the Jhiripani section of Belaghar range in Jan 2026.

Bhaskar Jyoti Sarma, principal secretary of the forest, environment and climate change department has sought his reply within 15 days, asking why disciplinary action should not be taken against him. The notice was issued on Feb 13.


According to the notice, the elephant carcass was detected by forest squads on Jan 5. However, the deputy ranger of Belaghar, Binaya Kumar Bishi, shifted the carcass first to Kadapana nursery near Belaghar and then to Kantesir village under Kesinga police station in Kalahandi district after cutting it into pieces. The DFO reported the incident to the govt only on Jan 22.

“It is surprising that as the DFO you got information about the incident nine days later, that too from media personnel,” the notice stated.

The notice said the DFO failed to submit the preliminary report to the chief wildlife warden, collector, RCCF and the govt within 24 hours of detection, violating prescribed guidelines.

As per govt rules, the DFO must rush to the spot immediately for inquiry. Instead, he deputed Suryakant Behera, assistant conservator of forests (ACF), for the probe, which “speaks of your negligence and dereliction of statutory duty,” the notice said.

Even after learning about the incident, he did not conduct the inquiry himself and assigned the task to another ACF, Manoranjan Bagha, which reflected a “casual attitude and shifting of responsibility,” it added. The notice also said the DFO failed to ascertain the cause of death and identify the offenders.

The govt further observed that the DFO’s report and subsequent action by his staff indicated a possible attempt to suppress an unnatural death and suggested connivance of staff, warranting timely investigation and arrest of the offenders — “but no action has been taken by you so far,” it said.

DFO Mahanta didn’t respond to calls.

Earlier, the govt had suspended Suryakant Behera, ACF, and Binaya Kumar Bishi. Forest officials have since arrested eight persons and seized five vehicles, sources said.