Post News Network
Jeypore, March 19: A former samiti member of Anta panchayat under Sadar police limits was murdered by a group of persons of the same panchayat near Ghiuri Thursday. He was identified as Ramakrushna Pujari (45).
Prima facie, it is suspected that he was killed over past enmity. According to a complaint lodged by his wife Binodini, who is a teacher, over 15 persons attacked the couple while Pujari was taking her on a bike to drop her at a school in Ghiuri at 6.30 am.
Pujari asked her to run away from the spot. He himself also tried to run away, but the assailants overpowered him and hacked him with sharp-edged weapons. Pujari’s family shifted him to Jeypore sub-divisional hospital where he died.
Binodini claimed her family had a land dispute with the attackers for 15 years. Besides, political rivalry also exists between both groups as Pujari was a member of the ruling party while the attackers belonged to an opposition party. In past, several scuffles had taken place between the groups.
Apprehending threat to his life, Pujari was staying with Binodini in a rented house at Ganganagar here for last several months.
After the murder, Pujari’s family insisted on arrest of the accused and refused to allow police to send the body for post-mortem. However, they relented after local leaders and SDPO in-charge Tapan Narayan Rath held talks with them. In her complaint, the Binodini named over 15 persons as accused.