Bhubaneswar, Feb 22: The former Odisha Chief Secretary Bijay Patnaik has claimed that the previous Odisha Govt, led by BJD chief Naveen Patnaik, was overly protective to KIIT & KISS Founder Achyuta Samanta.

Amidst the ongoing KIIT row, which was triggered following the death of a Nepali girl student at the private university’s hostel room, Patnaik recalled the time when he was the Chief Secretary.

“When I was the Chief Secretary, there were allegations of land fraud in KIIT and a case was filed in the court of the estate officer,” claimed the bureaucrat-turned-politician.

Recalling the case, Patnaik said that there were allegations of encroachment of government land, forest land, as well as construction without approval. “Legal action was taken after receiving a complaint,” said the former Chief Secretary, adding that the complaints were filed between 2010 and 2013.

It is worth mentioning that Samanta joined BJD in 2018, with the move came just hours before Naveen Patnaik made the announcement on the names of party candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections. “There is no doubt that the BJD government showed undue favours to Samanta,” said the former Chief Secretary.

Bijay Patnaik, however, is hopeful that with the change in Govt, strict action will be taken. “The government has changed in the state. The BJP government needs to show that they are different from the BJD,” said Patnaik, expressing his optimism on the Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi-led Govt.

Opinion on the controversial statement on Nepal

Patnaik has slammed that KIIT authority for making the controversial statement on Nepal. “It (the girl student’s death and the treatment of Nepal students) was an unfortunate matter,” stated the bureaucrat-turned-politician.

“It is not a small matter. Abusive and distasteful comments have been made on Nepal. It’s disrespectful to say KIIT’s budget is more than the entire budget of Nepal,” opined Patnaik.

“The Odisha Govt should show no one should go unpunished when it comes to the country. Exemplary action should be taken against the KIIT. Otherwise, foreign students will be afraid to come to Odisha to study,” he explained.

The former Chief Secretary also has a couple of suggestions for the Govt. “The Government of India and the Odisha Government should issue a show-cause notice on whether the KIIT should be recognised as a Deemed University or not,” asserted Patnaik.

“New regulations and amendments should be made to the Universities Act. The Odisha Govt should also find a way for students to make complaints directly at Governor’s office,” he added.

Who is Bijay Kumar Patnaik?

Patnaik, a 1976-batch IAS Officer, was the Chief Secretary of Odisha from 2010 to 2013. Prior to his appointment as the Chief Secretary, he had served as the Forest Secretary, Water Resources Secretary and Principal Secretary to Chief Minister.

Patnaik was appointed as the Commissioner of Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) after his retirement as the Chief Secretary. He later served as the member of Odisha Human Rights Commission till April 2015.

The former Chief Secretary had been appointed as the chief of party’s campaign committee in Odisha, soon after he joined the Congress in February 2023. He, however, resigned from the political party in August 2024, claiming that he was not given due importance despite his best efforts to strengthen party in Odisha.

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