Nuapada: Wife of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Harish Chandra Panda was found dead under mysterious circumstances on Sunday night.
According to sources, 35 year-old Pooja Panda was found hanging from a tree near their residence at Matagudipada, Ward 4, in Odisha’s Nuapada town at around 8.30 pm. She allegedly used a scarf to end her life, though the exact circumstances and underlying reasons remain unclear.
On being informed, senior officers, including Additional SP Ranjit Naik and Nuapada IIC Gangadhar Meher, arrived at the spot by 9 pm. The body was seized and sent to district headquarters hospital for a postmortem, which is expected to be conducted on Monday.
Though no suicide note or evidence pointing to foul play has been found so far, a thorough investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of death. More details are likely to emerge as the probe progresses. No official statement has been issued by her family yet.
Pooja is survived by her husband and two sons.
Harish Chandra Panda, former president of Nuapada district Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and nephew of senior BJP leader Basanta Panda, had joined the BJD in October 2025. It was like a homecoming for him as he had joined BJD in March 2019 after resigning from the BJP. However, he again left the regional party to rejoin the BJP, a few months after the general elections in May 2019.
