Berhampur: A local court Thursday sentenced a youth to life imprisonment after convicting him of double murder linked to post-panchayat election violence in Nabarangpur village under Digapahandi police limits of Ganjam district in 2022.
The Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ-III) Bibaswat Gautam convicted the prime accused, Bijay Gouda alias Toofan, 26, for the murders and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Apart from the punishment, the judge also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him. In default, he has to undergo an additional six months of rigorous imprisonment (RI).
A co-accused, Mayur Gouda, 43, was acquitted due to lack of sufficient evidence.
During the trial, statements of 33 witnesses were recorded. The prosecution was conducted by Additional Public Prosecutor Rajat Kumar Das on behalf of the state government.
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The incident took place amid political violence following the panchayat elections in 2022, when tension prevailed between two groups of supporters of a particular political party. The incident occurred when Pradeep Sahu, 26, of Nabarangpur village and his friend Babu Gouda, 38, were returning home after bathing in a pond at around 8 pm, May 29, 2022. They were allegedly attacked by members of the rival group and hacked to death with swords and knives on the village road.
Based on a complaint filed by Apana Sahu, brother of deceased Pradeep, Digapahandi police registered a case (185/22) and launched an investigation. The then investigating officer, Deepti Ranjan Behera, arrested the prime accused Bijay June 19, 2022. The other accused Mayur, who had fled, was later arrested from Mumbai and produced before the court.