Odisha police serve notice to two BJP leaders in Chhatrapur councillor murder case

Bhubaneswar: Hours after the two prominent BJD leaders were served CBI notices in connection with a chit fund scam, the Odisha Police issued notices to the two State BJP leaders in connection with the murder of BJD leader and Chhatrapur NAC Councillor Laxmidutta Pradhan.

Chhatrapur police served notices to BJP leaders and party spokespersons Bhrugu Buxipatra and Golak Mohapatra in connection with councillor Laxmidutta Pradhan murder case, said Chhatrapur SDPO Ramesh Chandra Sethi.

According to Sethi, Mohapatra was asked to depose before Chhatrapur police on February 7 and Buxipatra on February 9.

Mohapatra, who was earlier grilled by Chhatrapur police in connection with the murder case, termed the fresh notice to him by Odisha police is “vindictive” after CBI sent notices to BJD leaders.

“I have not received any notice and will present my version once I get one,” Mohapatra said in his reaction.

Buxipatra, however, could not be contacted for his comments on the matter.

On September 16 in 2017, Laxmidutta was engaged in a discussion with some youths in front of his house at Suryanagar in Chhatrapur when a group of armed men attacked the BJD leader and brutally hacked him to death in broad daylight.

Police had arrested 17 persons in this connection. BJP district secretary Krushna Chandra Nayak and Laxmipur panchayat samiti member N Duryadhan Reddy, alleged to be prime conspirators of the murder, were arrested from Dehradun and were produced before Chhatrapur SDJM court.

The murder had triggered a State-wide uproar. Sources said Laxmidutta’s murder was part of a wider conspiracy and result of previous enmity.