Indian Doctor Suspended for Alleged Role in Facilitating Phone Calls in Murder Case Investigation

BERHAMPUR: The Health and Family Welfare department on Saturday suspended the doctor deployed at Berhampur circle jail over his alleged role in facilitating phone calls through which a witness in the Pitabas Panda murder case was allegedly threatened and offered inducements. The suspended doctor is Susanta Kumar Panigrahi, a Group-A (junior branch) leave training reserve medical officer (LTRMO) of Berhampur City Hospital, who was deployed at the jail as a specialist in Psychiatry. The action against Panigrahi comes after police registered a case against him on allegations that he facilitated a telephone conversation between former Berhampur MLA Bikram Panda, an accused in the murder case, and a witness. According to the complaint filed by witness Lalit Mangaraj, Panda and his associate Madan Dalai went to Panigrahi’s chamber inside the jail. The doctor allegedly contacted him through WhatsApp call and told him that Panda wanted to speak to him before handing over the phone. Panda allegedly took the mobile phone to another room to avoid CCTV surveillance and spoke to the witness. Dalai too is alleged to have threatened the witness.