A court in Malkangiri has issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against senior IAS officer Manish Agarwal for failing to appear in a case related to the death of his personal assistant (PA) in 2019. Agarwal, who was the Malkangiri Collector at the time, is currently the Additional Secretary in the Planning & Convergence Department.
The court also issued NBWs against three other accused who failed to attend the hearing. Reports state that Agarwal’s PA, Deba Narayan Panda, went missing from his office on December 27, 2019, and his body was found in Satiguda dam the next day. Initially considered a suicide, the case was later classified as an unnatural death.
Panda’s wife alleged murder, accusing Agarwal and three staff members. They were charged under Sections 302 (murder), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 201 (destruction of evidence). Following the controversy, Agarwal was transferred to a lower post in the state government.
