Winning party’s supporters harass losing candidate, Odisha couple attempts suicide

Basudevpur: Tragedy struck a family at Bada Agapur village in Padmapur panchayat under Basudevpur Block after a man died by suicide and his wife attempted to end life for their insult over defeat in recently held Panchayat polls in Bhadrak district.

According to reports, Ramakanta Parida hung himself with a rope inside his house after allegedly being harassed and mocked by the supporters of winning party for his wife’s loss in the Panchayat elections.

His wife Sumati Parida, who was the Panchayat Samiti member candidate and lost in the rural body elections, consumed poison to end her life following the incident.

The incident occurred on March 13 evening when a grand procession was taken out by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) at Padmapur Panchayat to celebrate party’s victory in the Panchayat Elections, whose results were announced following three-day-long vote counting in February last week.

All the candidates, who had won various seats in three-tier rural body elections, including Zilla Parishad Member Jay Krushna Nayak, Sarpanch Rajendra Narayan Nayak, Samiti Member Sandhyarani Nayak and Block Chairperson Dinabandhu Das, were part of the procession.

As per allegations by deceased person’s family, Ramakanta was present in front of his house to see the BJD procession when it reached Bada Agapur village. When the supporters of winning Samiti member candidate saw him during the victory procession, they started mocking at him and his wife.

Allegedly, the supporters of winning Samiti member candidate had humiliated in front of the villagers. Under immense mental stress, he hung himself with a rope from a ceiling fan inside the house. The family members immediately took him to the District Headquarters Hospital, Bhadrak, where he was declared dead.

Unable to bear the pain, Sumati also took extreme step by consuming poison. The villagers rushed her the Bhadrak hospital in critical condition. Later, she was shifted to a private hospital in Cuttack where she is battling for life.

Expressing outrage over the tragic incident, the villagers hit the street yesterday by putting the body of Ramakanta on road demanding immediate arrest of persons responsible behind death of Samiti member candidate’s husband.

Following a written complaint, the Basudevpur Police has lodged an unnatural death case and initiated investigation into it.