Dhenkanal: Pronouncing the verdict in the murder of former Hindol block chairperson and BJD leader Nabaghan Sahu, additional district sessions judge of Dhenkanal Debidatta Devi Friday found two of the accused guilty of murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
The convicts are Amiya Ranjan Rout alias Titu and Jitendra Sahu alias Jitu. They were also imposed a penalty of `20,000 each.
The verdict was proclaimed six years after the murder happened.
According to the report, Nabaghan Sahu, then Hindol block chairperson, was returning from his cashew orchard at Jhargadia to his village at Ganjara in the morning of May 14, 2011.
On the way, a Scorpio with registration number OR-19-L-2716 had hit him before dragging him for 200 metres from the accident spot, leaving him grievously wounded.
His bother Muralidhar Sahu and his kin rushed him to the district headquarters hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
His brother Muralidhar had lodged a complaint with Rasola police station, alleging that Nabaghan was murdered in a preplanned manner by way of running a vehicle over him.
Police had registered a case of murder and started an investigation.
Next day, the police raided the house of then Bampa sarpanch Bijay Kumar Rout. The police arrested Bijay’s son Amiya and later seized the SUV from Balipada village under Chhendipada police station.
Then sarpanch Bijay Rout was a strong supporter of a local MLA. Bijay and Nabaghan had political enmity.
Nabaghan, after being elected as samiti member in 2007 and later as block chairman, was not in good terms with then local MLA.
Due to the political squabble, panchayat samiti meeting could not be held for three years.
Fearing threat to his life, Nabaghan had informed it to then SP, just four days before his murder.
Following his murder, various political leaders and outfits claimed that it was due to a political rivalry.
Under pressure from various quarters, the case had been handed over to the Crime Branch, which investigated the matter.
The case took a dramatic turn when four days after the CB took over, another convict Jitendra Sahu surrendered before the SDHM court. PNN