Bhubaneswar: Former Berhampur MLA and present BJD Ganjam district president Bikram Panda and former BeMC Mayor Siba Sankar Dash are among the 12 arrested in connection with the sensational murder of senior advocate and BJP leader Pitabas Panda.
According to Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M, the duo plotted to eliminate Pitabas Panda over political, personal and financial reasons. They roped in BJD corporator Malaya Bisoi and party leader Madan Dalei to execute the plan, who in turn contacted Uma Bisoi, an anti-social, to arrange for shooters.
The plan was executed by two local shooters on October 6 after being aborted earlier on September 14 when those hired from Bihar through mediator Uma Bisoi left home due to a medical emergency. The entire plot involved a financial deal of Rs 50 lakh.
During the investigation, an election petition emerged as a common link between Bikram Panda and Siba Sankar Dash and a key motive behind the brutal murder of Pitabas Panda. “An election petition was filed on May 19, 2024, against the sitting MLA of Berhampur. The petition was filed in the name of a helper who works at Siba Sankar Dash’s residence. In reality, it was filed by Siba Shankar Das himself. The legal expenses and advocate fees for pursuing the election petition were being borne by Bikram Panda. The understanding between them was that if the MLA were disqualified as a result of the petition, Bikram Panda would contest the Assembly seat in the by-election, and using his influence through corporators, he would help make Siba Sankar Dash the Mayor,” the SP said.
“This political arrangement and shared motive form a key part of the conspiracy is what we have learnt so far,” he added.
Bikram Panda had won the Assembly seat in 2019 but was denied ticket in 2024 elections when BJP fielded Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik as its candidate.
The SP further stated that enmity between Bikram Panda and Pitabas Panda had also increased manifold after the Odisha Bar Council election. “Though Pitabas Panda was elected to the State Bar Council with the highest number of votes, he could not get any post in the Bar Council of India. He had then vowed to destroy Bikram Panda’s political career and went around saying the same to everyone to be able to pass on the message to the former Berhampur MLA. Bikram Panda was also convinced that Pitabas Panda was behind all social media posts aimed at tarnishing his image,” he said.
Siba Shankar Dash, who has 38 criminal cases against him, was also under the impression that he was denied a ticket to contest the 2024 elections from Berhampur Assembly constituency at the behest of Pitabas Panda. He had also lodged an attempt to murder case against Panda.
“They decided to get rid of Pitabas Panda for their political survival,” the SP added.
Dash started his political career with the BJD and became the first mayor of Berhampur Municipal Corporation. However, after the BJD denied a ticket to him in the general election in 2014, he switched to the BJP and contested unsuccessfully. Dash also fought the election as an Independent in 2019 when the saffron party did not nominate him. However, after being released on bail in 2023, he involved himself in BJP’s activities hoping to get the party ticket but in vain.
The Murder Case
On the night of October 6, two motorcycle-borne assailants shot Pitabas Panda, a member of the Odisha Bar Council, near his home in Baikuntha Nagar, under Baidyanathpur police limits, while he was returning on a scooter. He was rushed to MKCG Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The killing sparked widespread anger over the law-and-order situation in the state.
Baidyanathpur Police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Arms Act and launched an intensive probe. Six special teams were formed to track down the culprits.