Banki: Police have launched a manhunt to track down the killers of the husband of a sarpanch and a local journalist near Banki in Cuttack district.
Police identified the victims as Bhagaban Swain (50), a local Congress leader and husband of Nuagan sarpanch Mamata Mohapatra, and web journalist Aditya Kumar Ranasingh (35).
The two were hacked to death by a gang of goons in Jokalanji dam area on Banki-Kalapathara road around 3 pm on Saturday.
According to police, Swain, Ranasingh and a boy were returning to their village Khajuripada from the Banki block office. On the way, their bike got entangled in a GI wire on the road and the three fell down.
Suddenly, around five to six assailants, who were hiding nearby, attacked them with sharp weapons. The three tried to run to safety, but the miscreants chased Swain and Ranasingh and severed their legs. However, the minor boy managed to flee and alerted nearby villagers.
Following this, villagers and Baideswar police went to the spot and rushed Swain and Ranasingh to the Banki sub-divisional hospital. While Ranasingh died on the way to hospital, Swain later succumbed to his injuries at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
On Sunday, police handed over their bodies to the families after autopsies. Police are also questioning the boy to ascertain details of the attack.
“Preliminary investigation has revealed that the incident was a fallout of political rivalry, tender contract and false billing,” the Cuttack Sadar SP, Radha Binod Panigrahi, said.
Senior Congress leader and former Banki MLA Debasish Patnaik said: “We have asked police to arrest all the accused within two days. If they fail to do so, Congress will decide on an appropriate action.”
