Puri excise inspector who accused cops of collecting kickbacks applies for leave

A day after accusing police of collecting monthly kickbacks from liquor mafia, an excise inspector in Puri district on Tuesday applied for leave citing mental and physical illness.

The concerned excise inspector, Sanjay Panda, wrote to Excise Superintendent Amarendra Jena seeking 15 days' leave.

"He (Panda) has mentioned about deteriorating mental & physical condition post-Covid infection. He has sought leave citing required treatment for recuperation," informed Jena.

In a video, Panda stated that, “Due to Covid, I had lost my mental balance and was undergoing treatment. For the past one month, I had discontinued my medications. As a result, I started facing such mental issues again and made such statements against the police department.”

Panda further clarified that his remarks were unintentional and sought apology for the turnout of events. On Monday, Panda had alleged that the staff of Puri district police were taking money from various excise offenders.

In a letter to Excise Commissioner, Panda had highlighted such irregularities and the problems faced by the Excise staff in carrying out their duties. “While carrying out raids in Puri district in the past one year, I found that whenever we arrest any excise offenders, they said they are giving huge monthly money to the Police Station staff,” wrote Panda.