# Odisha police file fresh FIR against ex-MLA for jail threats to witness 2026-09-17T05:17:13+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Former Berhampur MLA and BJD leader Bikram Panda faces a fresh police case for allegedly threatening a witness from jail. Police say Panda, co-accused Madan Dalai, and jail doctor Sushant Panigrahi used the doctor's phone to call a witness in the Pitabas Panda murder case. The witness also reported being confronted by two men on September 1. Police seized the doctor's phone and questioned him for three hours, sources said he admitted the call. The fresh FIR was registered at Gosaninuagaon police station after a preliminary inquiry found prima facie evidence. Panda was granted conditional bail on September 1 by the Orissa High Court, which noted that police failed to inform him of the grounds of arrest, violating Article 22(1). The bail terms bar him from intimidating witnesses. Further investigation is underway, and police may recommend departmental action against the doctor. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Sources in this case uniformly report the police account, with odishatv.in also detailing the Orissa High Court bail order noting procedural lapses by police. The coverage is straight reporting, no source challenges the investigation's merits or questions the timeline from bail grant to fresh FIR. The balanced reading is that the judicial and executive arms are functioning independently: one grants bail on procedural grounds, the other registers a new case on new evidence. Next to watch is whether the doctor faces departmental action and how the witnesses' testimony holds if the case reaches trial. ## Coverage - odishatv.in (neutral report) Leads with doctor phone seizure, includes bail reasoning as context - newindianexpress.com (neutral report) Details witness encounter and audio recordings, neutral police briefing - odishatv.in (neutral report) Leads with doctor phone seizure, includes bail reasoning as context Tags: Berhampur, Bikram Panda, BJD, Odisha Police, Pitabas Panda Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/fresh-case-against-ex-odisha-mla-bikram-panda-over-witness-threat/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/fresh-case-against-ex-odisha-mla-bikram-panda-over-witness-threat/#story-in-brief