Odisha: Former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA from the Berhampur seat and the party’s Ganjam district chief, Bikram Panda, was arrested on Tuesday late night in connection with the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and lawyer Pitabash Panda, according to a News18 report.
He was formally arrested late last night after several hours of questioning. Notably, he had first been detained in connection with the case and was later arrested along with seven others.
A video showing Bikram Panda being brought in a police van has surfaced. The footage captures the accused individuals stepping out of the police van one by one, with Bikram also seen exiting the vehicle.
The arrest has triggered protests from his supporters. Pitabash Panda, a member of the Odisha Bar Council, was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants near his Berhampur residence late on 6 October. The killing sparked widespread outrage over the law-and-order situation in Odisha.
Apart from Bikram, BJD corporator Malay Bishoyi, former mayor Shiba Shankar Das (Pintu), BJD leader Madan Dalai, two sharpshooters, Chintu Pradhan and Jagi Raut have been arrested.
After their arrest, all the accused were produced before the court on Wednesday, which rejected their bail pleas. Subsequently, they were remanded to 14-day judicial custody.
Four individuals, including the assailants, are reportedly absconding. Police suspect that personal rivalry, political ambition, and business losses may have motivated the crime, citing a financial transaction between Bikram and the decased.
The police has also recovered the weapon used in the crime from a beach near the Ganjam-Puri border, police said.
“There was a deal of Rs 50 lakh to eliminate Pitabash Panda, of which Rs 10 lakh was paid to the person who opened fire," the police said.
