Berhampur: A local court has acquitted all 16 accused in the murder of a BJD leader for lack of evidence in Odisha’s Ganjam district.
As per the case, the incident took place when the BJD leader, Pratap Pallai of Pakelapalli village under Aska police station in the district, was going in a bus to Berhampur on the night of November 6, 2017. Some miscreants stopped the bus at Karanjei square on Aska-Berhampur road and shot Pallai from close quarters, killing him on the spot.
The BJD leader’s wife, Babita Pallai, former councillor of Aska NAC, had filed a complaint about her husband’s murder at Aska police station. Following investigation, the police had filed chargesheet in the JMFC court. Later, the case was shifted to the Additional District and Sessions Court.
The court heard the statements of total 44 witnesses and 22 others and examined the evidence produced by the police. Following this, Additional District and Sessions Judge Prabir Kumar Choudhury acquitted all 16 accused in the case for lack of evidence.