SAMBALPUR: Once celebrated as the Odisha Civil Services (OCS) Examination 2019 topper, 29-year-old Aswini Kumar Panda’s career has collapsed under corruption charges. On Friday, the Bamra tehsildar in Sambalpur district was arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹15,000 in a land mutation case.
According to vigilance officials, Panda initially demanded ₹20,000 to approve the conversion of land kisam from agriculture to homestead and issue the Record of Rights (RoR). When the complainant pleaded inability to pay the full amount, Panda settled for ₹15,000 but warned that the case would not move forward otherwise.
Vigilance Trap and Arrest
Acting on the complaint, the Odisha Vigilance laid a trap. Panda was caught red-handed in his office while receiving the bribe through his driver, P. Praveen Kumar. The entire bribe amount was recovered from them.
Subsequent raids at Panda’s office and residences in Sambalpur and Bhubaneswar led to the seizure of ₹4.73 lakh in cash. Both Panda and his driver were arrested and produced before a court.
A case has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, and investigation is underway.
From Inspiration to Infamy
Panda’s arrest has shocked many as his journey once inspired aspiring civil servants. An engineering graduate from Khetrapal village in Jajpur, Panda had narrowly missed clearing the assistant section officer exam in 2018 by just half a mark.
In 2019, he topped the OCS exam in his very first attempt — without any coaching. At the time, Panda had pledged to work for education, health, and women’s empowerment, saying he wanted to serve “the lowest strata of society.”
He joined service in 2021, worked as a training reserve officer in Balasore, later became tehsildar of Shamakhunta in Mayurbhanj in June 2023, and was transferred to Bamra in July. However, within just three months of his new posting, his promising career has been overshadowed by corruption.
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