Berhampur: A former sarpanch and his two associates were seriously injured in an attack by some miscreants during celebration of Sital Sasthi in Odisha’s Ganjam district.
According to sources, former sarpanch of Maisakhali panchayat Manoj Sethi along with his two associates had gone to attend Sital Sasthi celebration in Maisakhali village under Berhampur Sadar police station on Monday night. Finding Manoj and his associates in a lonely place away from the celebration, around 20 miscreants attacked them with swords and other sharp weapons.
As Manoj and his associates shouted for help, the villagers rushed to their rescue, but the miscreants managed to escape from the village. The former sarpanch, who sustained critical injuries on head in the attack, was admitted to MKCH Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur. Later, he was shifted to a hospital in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh as his condition deteriorated.
Manoj’s associates, Shankar Jena and Durga Prasad Pradhan are undergoing treatment in MKCG Hospital.
Later, Manoj’s elder brother Hemant Kumar Sethi filed an FIR in Berhampur Sadar police station alleging that 16 persons tried to kill his brother. But Hemant mentioned the names of 8 accused in the FIR. He named Maisakhali sarpanch K Bulu Patra as prime accused in the incident.
Hemant stated that the accused came in four to five bikes and attacked his brother with sword, iron rod, lathi, stones, wooden planks and other sharp weapons. The assailant, who fled when the villagers reached there, left behind 3 bikes including that of the sarpanch, he added.
The sources said during the last panchayat election, Manoj and his associates had supported the rival candidate of Bulu Patra and there was enmity between them since then.
Meanwhile, Mahendra Kumar Sahu, Investigation Officer of the police station, said, “We have detained 4 persons and are interrogating them. Further investigation is also going on.”
