Odisha transfers Jail DG Susant Nath, appoints him OSD in Home Dept amid harassment allegations

Bhubaneswar, Nov 1: The Odisha government on Sunday transferred Jail Director General (DG) Susant Kumar Nath and appointed him Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Home Department amid serious allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by a former jailer.

The former jailer lodged a complaint at Choudwar police station in Kataka, accusing Nath of sexually harassing her and threatening to terminate her from service. She also alleged that Nath threatened her to withdraw her complaint.

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Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation into the allegations. The Commissionerate Police has also informed the Home Department about the matter.

Following the transfer, Santosh Bala, Director of the State Forensic Laboratory (SFL), has been given the charge of Additional Director General (ADG) of Prisons. She will take over the responsibility from Amitabh Thakur, who has been relieved of the additional charge of the prisons department and will continue as Transport Commissioner.

The government has also transferred eight IPS officers and one Odisha Police Service (OPS) officer as part of the administrative reshuffle. The Home Department has issued a formal notification regarding the transfers.