Bhadrak: A youth was allegedly killed by a sarpanch candidate and his associates in a pre-poll violence that erupted in Brahmapur village under Bhadrak block, Tuesday.
The deceased was identified as Subhasis Giri, an engineering student of the village. Tension prevailed in the area as two platoons of police force were deployed in the village.
Sabarang police registered a case after Archana Giri, sister of the deceased, lodged a complaint in this regard.
Archana has named Priya Ranjan Senapati, Maheswar Palai, Maheswar Mahal, Prasant Arakh and Jyoti Ranjan Senapati as the accused. Police started an investigation and seized a tube well handle used in the crime.
Villagers and family members staged a road blockade at Brahmapur Sqaure on BhadrakIchhapur road by putting up the body. Hemant Padhi, BJP’s district president, was leading the protest.
The blockade disrupted traffic movement for over three hours. SDPO Prabhas Chandra Pal, Bhadrak rural IIC Mrutyunjaya Pradhan and his Sabarang counterpart Sobhan Kumar Swain rushed to the spot and tried to placate the villagers.
The agitators relented after the SDPO assured them to nab all the accused within 24 hours.
According to the complainant, sarpanch candidate Maheswar Palai, a construction material trader, was regularly dumping chips and spalls on the Brahmapur School playground and had also encroached upon the village club building.
He was using the club space for trading. Subhasis and some other villagers had objected to such encroachment and illegal dumping of construction materials by Palai and his henchmen.
This resulted in regular fights. When Palai noticed Subhasis Tuesday, he attacked him with the tube well handle with the help of his aides. Panicked, Subhasis jumped into a nearby pond when he saw Palai and his men chasing him.
His family members alerted the fire services personnel who fished out the body after long hours of search operation.
PNN
