Odisha removes prison chief Susanta Kumar Nath after harassment FIR

Susanta Kumar Nath, the director general of prisons and correctional services in Odisha, was removed from his post on Sunday after a FIR was filed accusing him of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation of a woman officer. The government transferred him to an officer‑on‑special duty role in the home department, a posting viewed as punitive. Nath, a 1993‑batch IPS officer who was being considered for the upcoming post of director general of police, had his integrity certificate withdrawn earlier and was excluded from the UPSC panel for DGP selection. The FIR, registered on Friday, also names Kuldeep Rath as an associate and cites sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita covering sexual harassment, intimidation and common intention. According to the complaint, Rath approached the officer twice—in August and September 2025—on Nath’s behalf, inviting her to dinner at two Cuttack hotels, which she described as unwelcome personal invitations with clear sexual intent. When she rejected the advances, she says she received threats to her life, reputation and career, and that Nath tried to pressure her to withdraw a separate case against another senior official. The deputy commissioner of police, Cuttack, informed the home department of the development, and senior officials say a thorough probe will examine Nath, Rath and the other senior officer mentioned. Nath has not commented, and the state is awaiting the investigation report. The removal comes as the Supreme Court is hearing a case on the selection process for Odisha’s next DGP, in which Nath had intervened after his exclusion.

Context

The incident highlights how internal police disputes and legal challenges can affect senior appointments, and why allegations of misconduct are taken seriously in public service.