Kendrapara: A businessman with affiliations to Sangh Parivar (RSS) affiliated Dharma Raksha Sena was shot dead by bike-borne miscreants in Odisha’s Kendrapara district Saturday night, triggering tension among locals.
Locals, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits, staged a demonstration Sunday morning on the busy Cuttack-Chandballi state highway, bringing traffic to a halt for several hours.
According to police Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Rajib Lochan Panda, Bibekanand Moharana, who runs a transport business, was returning home from work when the miscreants opened fire at him near Danda Munda Chowk here.
He was first rushed to the district headquarters hospital here and then shifted to SCB Medical College & Hospital in Cuttack after his condition deteriorated, the SDPO said.
“Preliminary investigation suggests that business rivalry might have led to the attack on Moharana, who is also the district wing chief of Sangh Parivar (RSS) -affiliated Dharma Raksha Sena. The miscreants were probably hired by a rival businessman,” he explained.
Police have beefed up the security in the area in the wake of the attack and subsequent protests, the SDPO added.
Situation in the area continues to remain volatile.
