Dhenkanal: Eight years after the murder of BJP supporter Salman Rout during the 2017 panchayat elections in Dhenkanal district, a local court Friday sentenced eight persons to life imprisonment while acquitting five others due to lack of evidence.
The judgment was delivered by District and Sessions Judge Pranab Kumar Routray, who found the accused guilty of murdering Rout over political rivalry linked to the Tarava panchayat elections. According to the case records, Salman Rout was campaigning near a betel shop in Godisahi village with his associates around 7:30pm February 4, 2017.
At the same time, rival sarpanch candidate Kulamani Behera and his supporters arrived in the area for their own campaign. A heated altercation broke out between the two groups, after which Behera and his supporters attacked Rout and his associate Bikram Keshari Mallik with sticks. During the assault, Behera’s associate, Byomakesh Biswal allegedly fired a bullet at Rout from close range. Rout died at the Dhenkanal District Headquarters Hospital.
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The court found Byomakesh Biswal guilty under Sections 302, 25, and 27 of the Arms Act. Seven others — Trayambak Biswal, Mrutyunjay Biswal, Hrudananda Biswal, Samarendra Biswal, Manmohan Biswal, Debendra Swain, and Kulamani Behera — were convicted under Section 302 of the IPC and sentenced to life imprisonment.
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