Guwahati: CBI starts probe into mysterious death of Kamakhya temple Panda

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has now registered a case and started an investigation into the mysterious death of Kamakhya temple Panda Himanshu Sarma on the night of April 12, 2025. CBI took up the case on the basis of an FIR (172/2025) lodged on April 14, 2025, at Jalukbari police station under section 61/103(1) of BNS.

The body of Panda Himangshu Sarma was recovered the next day, i.e., April 13, in the Gosani pond near Soubhagya Kund in the premises of the Kamakhya temple. Panda is the term for hereditary priests and guides at the Kamakhya Temple.

The FIR was filed by the family members of the deceased, including brother Gautam Sarma, wife Tara Kalita, mother Gita Rani Devi, and brother-in-law Kalyan Kalita on April 14, 2025, suspecting murder of Himanshu Sarma.

According to the FIR, the complainants suspected that Himanshu Sarma was murdered on the night of April 14, 2025, after Visarjan Puja at Shoubhagya Kund within the premises of the Kamakhya Temple. The FIR stated that the deceased was last seen performing puja with a group of individuals, and based on circumstances and available evidence, the complainants suspected the involvement of Bishwa Prakash Sarma, Bhaskarjyoti Sarma, Bani Duwari, Manash Jyoti Saikia and one or two other unidentified persons present at the puja site. CCTV footage from the Shoubhagya Kund area and surrounding premises of Kamakhya Temple clearly showed the presence of the above-named suspects during the time of the incident.

The Assam government had issued a notification on July 9, 2025, under section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946, which extended the powers and jurisdiction of the members of the Delhi Special Police Establishment in the whole state of Assam for carrying out the investigation of FIR no. 172/2025. Following this, the Government of India issued a notification under section 5 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946, which also extended the powers and jurisdiction of the members of the Delhi Special Police Establishment in the whole state of Assam for carrying out an investigation into the case.

Subsequently, in pursuance of the notifications, the case was taken up for investigation by the CBI by treating FIR no. 172/2025 as the original FIR of the case. As to the action taken by the CBI, it is mentioned that since the available information reveals the commission of an offence under the sections of the BNS mentioned, the case has been taken up by the investigation agency for investigation.

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