The State Government on Saturday informed one Deshabandhu Das of Badamanitia village, who was earlier selected to go to Rashtrapati Bhawan to attend a reception on August 9 with four others freedom fighters of Odisha, not to proceed to New Delhi as his name was cancelled following an inquiry pending on his status s a freedom fighter.

According to DIPRO of Kendrapada Chandrakanta Nayak, a letter from the Finance Department has informed this to the district Collector.

“Meanwhile, on Saturday, I have handed over the copy of the letter to Deshabandhu Das’s son and asked not to proceed to Delhi as per the direction of State Finance Department”,informed Nayak..

According to the DIPRO, one Parikhita Das had filed a petition recently before the Home Department and State Finance Department alleging that Deshabandhu Das is not a genuine freedom fighter. Claiming that it was not possible that Deshabandhu alias Dinabandhu was jailed during the freedom struggle movement as he was only 7-year-old then, the petitioner sought an inquiry into the matter.

He had mentioned that Deshabandhu was born in 1935 as per his service record book.

Deshabandhu allegedly duplicated his name by virtue of an affidavit in 1963. The petitioner alleged that one Kanduri Das, of Jariabad village, was jailed in the freedom struggle movement. At that time, Kanduri Das told the jail authority that his name is Deshabandhu Das.

Dinabandhu managed to tamper the documents of Kanduri Das to avail freedom fighter pension both from the Centre and the State. As a result, the Home Department taking the complaint directed the State Finance Department to conduct a thorough inquiry.

The district collector later constituted a probe on the alleged matter by forming a five-member inquiry team. As per the preliminary inquiry conducted recently, Dinabandhu Das alias Deshabandhu Das  was born in 1924 as per his voter ID and Adhar card. But in the pension book his date of birth was written December12, 1935. The inquiry team has received Deshabandhu’s horoscope for ascertaining the date of birth of him.