Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Aug 24: The Home Department on Friday announced plans to investigate serious misconduct by two senior IPS officers, DS Kutey and Ashish Kumar Singh, related to the 2024 simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha.
Both officers, currently serving as OSDs in the Home Department, have been issued show-cause notices and are required to submit their written defenses within 30 days. If they fail to respond or appear before the inquiry authorities within this timeframe, the investigation will proceed ex-parte.
DS Kutey, once a key figure in Odisha during the latter years of Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year tenure, and Ashish Kumar Singh are accused of interfering in the electoral process. Kutey, who was serving as special secretary in the Odisha Chief Minister’s Office, was suspended by the Election Commission on May 28 following allegations of EVM vandalism by BJP candidate Prashant Jagadev in the Khurda Assembly seat election. Kutey’s suspension was lifted on June 6, and he was reassigned as OSD in the Home Department on July 15.