Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda pursues Master's Degree from jail

Infamous naxal leader Sabyasachi Panda has been pursuing his Master of Arts (MA) from Berhampur Circle Jail in Ganjam district. After obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree, he is now making efforts to attain a Master's Degree, informed an official on Tuesday.

According to sources, Sabyasachi, who is serving a life sentence in jail, is studying for an MA in Public Administration from Odisha State Open University (OSOU). The jail authorities have provided him with study materials. Sabyasachi, who kept the police and administration on their toes for more than two decades, is now very interested in education, spending most of his time inside the jail studying.

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In 2022, Sabyasachi earned a degree in Humanities from IGNOU, and now he aims for an MA. Along with Sabyasachi, a total of four convicts and two under-trial prisoners (UTPs) will appear for the examination. The jail administration has been supplying study materials to everyone. Teachers in the jail are also providing support for their studies.

“He (the Maoist leader) has already completed two courses in subjects including Computer Science and is now pursuing a Master’s Degree. He is also likely to pursue his Degree in Law in the future,” Sabyasachi’s counsel Deepak Patnaik said when contacted.

“There are at least three study centres in Berhampur Circle Jail -- National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), and Odisha State Open University (OSOU),” Berhampur Circle Jail superintendent Dhirendra Barik expressed.

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“We usually provide all sorts of assistance to interested inmates and this year four of them including Sabyasachi Panda have been selected to pursue their Master’s Degree,” the jail superintendent further said.

Worth mentioning, Sabyasachi is the son of Ramesh Panda, a three-time CPM legislator from the Ranpur locality of Nayagarh district, and a notorious Maoist leader. He previously studied at Samanta Chandrasekhar (SCS) Government College in Puri. Presently, while in jail, he has committed himself to pursuing higher education.

Sabyasachi, also known as Sarat alias Sunil, was a key leader of the Maoist party in Odisha and was most wanted by the police with a bounty of Rs 5 lakh on his head.