Nayagarh: Diwali evening turns bloody in Odisha with 2 murder incidents

By Mamata Mohapatra/Biswa Bhusan Mohapatra

Nayagarh: The Diwali evening on Monday turned bloody in Odisha as two incidents of murder were reported from separate places.  While one person was allegedly shot down in Puri district, another was killed in Nayagarh district.

Besides, one person was injured.

In the first incident, some unidentified miscreants opened fire at two persons when they were busy bursting crackers near Bhargabi School at Thentapur in Puri district. While one died on the spot, the other one was injured seriously. The deceased was identified as Shankar Behera while the injured was identified as Nilu Behera.

The initial investigation by the police revealed that past enmity was the reason behind the crime.

Registering a case, the police launched a probe and manhunt to apprehend the culprits.

In the second incident that occurred at Madhyakhand village under Dasapalla police limits in Nayagarh district, two groups had an altercation over bursting firecrackers.

The scene turned ugly when one group attacked the other with sharp weapons, killing one. The deceased was identified as Bikash Behera, a history-sheeter who had over 15 cases pending against him at various police stations in Nayagarh and other districts.

According to a source, Bikash along with his friends was busy in bursting crackers when another group entered into a verbal duel with the former over bursting crackers. In no time, it snowballed into a pitched battle. Later, the opposite group attacked Bikash with a knife.

Soaked in blood, Bikash was rescued and rushed to Dasapalla Community Health Center (CHC) and then to Nayagarh district headquarters hospital (DHH). However, it was too late by then. The doctors at the DHH pronounced him received dead. The police have launched a probe into the incident and a search for the miscreants.