Bhubaneswar: Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik revoked suspension of state's seniormost IPS officer B B Mohanti, father of rape convict Bitihotra Mohanti, on Tuesday night, highly placed official sources said.
Patnaik signed the paper revoking the suspension of the top cop and forwarded it to the home department, the sources told PTI.
Though Mohanti had tried to lift the suspension order on him several times in the past 20 months, the Naveen Patnaik regime had refused to grant him so with the Chief Minister reportedly telling close aides that Mohanti would have to find another CM to do that.
However, the BJD government's latest move came days before end of its term following the Assembly elections.
Mohanti had been put under suspension from government service in August, 2007, after a Rajasthan court issued a non-bailable warrant against him on charge of helping his rape convict son Bitihotra to jump parole from a jail in the desert state.
He was also jailed for some days earlier.
Bitihotra, his only son, was convicted of raping a German woman which hit headlines across the country in 2006.
His son was granted a 15-day parole on November 20, 2006, till December 4 on the plea to see his ailing mother in Cuttack.
However, Bitihotra did not reach the Rajasthan jail after the stipulated 15 days, despite being awarded seven-year imprisonment after conviction.
Besides, being accused of shielding his convict son, Mohanti, an IPS officer of 1972 batch, was also criticised for not responding to several letters of the state government in connection with the case.
Before his suspension, Mohanti was director general of Home Guards and also the Fire service in Orissa.
Because of his son's conviction, Mohanti could not become DGP while officers much junior to him occupied the highest post in the state police administration later on.
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