Berhampur: In a major breakthrough in the high-profile murder case of senior advocate and BJP leader Shri Pitabash Panda, the District Police on Wednesday arrested former Berhampur MLA and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Ganjam District President Shri Bikram Panda along with 11 others.
Berhampur Police allege that Shri Bikram Panda was the main conspirator behind the killing, which took place on the night of October 6.
He was arrested late Tuesday night from his Gajapatinagar residence on charges of criminal conspiracy and was subsequently produced before a local court in Berhampur today. Among the others arrested are former Berhampur Mayor Shri Siba Shankar Das and a sitting BJD Corporator, Shri Malay Bisoyi.
Berhampur Superintendent of Police (SP) Shri Saravana Vivek M informed the Media that the murder was the result of a conspiracy fueled by political rivalry, personal enmity, and financial disputes between the former friends-turned-rivals. Police investigation suggests that the conspirators allegedly hired contract killers to eliminate Shri Panda.
According to the police, the motive for the murder stemmed from the belief held by Shri Panda and Shri Das that the deceased advocate, Shri Pitabash Panda, was a significant obstacle to their political and financial growth.
The investigation revealed that the conspirators allegedly paid a substantial sum to the hired assassins. Police have recovered the weapon used in the crime from a beach near the Ganjam-Puri border. Four other suspects, including some of the assailants, are reportedly on the run and a manhunt is underway.
The arrest of a prominent leader of the BJD has immediately sparked a political controversy. Supporters of Bikram Panda and senior BJD leaders in Ganjam staged protests, gheraoing the SP’s office and calling the arrest a “political vendetta” orchestrated by the ruling BJP government. Meanwhile, the murder, which had already triggered widespread outrage, has posed a challenge for the state government.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) had previously demanded the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case. Heavy police deployment has been made across Berhampur to maintain law and order.
The deceased, Shri Panda, a member of the Odisha Bar Council, was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants near his Berhampur residence on October 6.