7 months ago
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Odisha Police person cracked the sensational execution lawsuit of State Bar Council subordinate Pitabas Panda with the apprehension of 12 persons, including Biju Janata Dal person and erstwhile Berhampur MLA Bikram Panda, and erstwhile politician of Berhampur Municipal Corporation Siba Shankar Das.
Police person besides arrested a sitting BJD corporator, Malay Bisoi, for his alleged progressive engagement successful the crime. All the arrested persons person been forwarded to court.
“Both Bikram Panda and Das were nursing idiosyncratic and nonrecreational enmity with the deceased. They conspired to destruct him and hired declaration killers done their adjacent associates. They believed that the lawyer had go a stumbling artifact successful their governmental growth,” said Berhampur Superintendent of Police Saravana Vivek M. portion addressing a property league connected Wednesday (October 22, 2025).
Mr. Saravana added that erstwhile MLA Panda had convinced Das that they could unafraid the disqualification of the existent Berhampur MLA done an predetermination petition. “After the disqualification, Panda was nether the content that helium would go the MLA and assistance Das instrumentality to the mayor’s post,” the SP said.
Mr. Saravana said, “former politician Das had arranged for an predetermination petition to beryllium filed by a regular wager known to him, portion each recurring ineligible expenses were borne by Panda.”
Pitabas Panda, besides a BJP leader, was shot dormant astatine point-blank range by hired gunmen connected the nighttime of October 6. According to the SP, the lawyer had secured the highest fig of votes successful the State Bar Council predetermination but was incapable to clasp immoderate important presumption thereafter. The deceased reportedly believed that erstwhile MLA Panda was liable for his nonaccomplishment to presume immoderate office. The lawyer had publically threatened to destruct governmental vocation of Panda.
Elaborating connected the execution plot, the Berhampur SP said the conspirators had made 2 earlier attempts connected Panda’s beingness successful September and October. “Two criminals from Bihar were initially hired to transportation retired the sidesplitting and had conducted reconnaissance of Panda’s movements. However, the program was aborted successful September owed to a aesculapian exigency involving 1 of them. Subsequently, different squad of assassins was engaged,” Mr. Saravana said.
The hired killers were promised ₹50 lakh for executing the murder, the SP added. Three cardinal accused, including Kurupati Bhuyan, who fired bullet, were inactive astatine large.
Reacting to the apprehension of Bikram Panda, the BJD said the erstwhile MLA had been made a “sacrificial lamb” and had nary engagement successful the crime.
“The constabulary conducted a shoddy probe nether the absorption of the BJP authorities and fabricated the full execution mentation to people the BJD leader. State Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena was really progressive successful the crime, but the authorities sought to shield him arsenic his apprehension would person brought disrepute to the administration, particularly astatine a clip erstwhile the BJP sensed it was losing the Nuapada bypoll,” alleged elder BJD person Pramila Mallick.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said it was unfortunate that the BJD was trying to shield criminals adjacent aft the constabulary had conducted a foolproof probe and revealed who hired the killers, supplied the execution weapon, and provided them shelter.
The execution had triggered outrage crossed the country. Both the Bar Council of India and the Odisha State Bar Council had condemned the sidesplitting and demanded contiguous apprehension of persons progressive successful the crime.
