Berhampur, June 1: A major development has emerged in the sensational murder case of Berhampur-based lawyer Pitabas Panda, with the police dropping the murder charge against 14 accused in the second supplementary chargesheet filed before the court.
As part of its ongoing investigation, the police submitted statements of 27 new witnesses along with additional testimonies from existing witnesses to strengthen the prosecution's case. The supplementary chargesheet reveals that the murder charge under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)has been withdrawn against former MLA Bikram Kumar Panda, who was earlier projected as one of the key accused.
The charge has also been dropped against 13 others, including former Mayor Shiva Shankar Das, corporator Malay Bishoyi, BJD leader Madan Dalai, Simanchal Nayak, Bipin Swain, Jogendra Rout, Kalucharan Behera, Rajendra Sahu, Shishupal Kumar Paswan, Kundan Paswan, Shunya Chandra Das, Sunil Hota, and Uma Bishoyi.
The initial chargesheet had invoked the murder charge against all the accused. However, following further investigation, the police omitted the charge against the 14 individuals while filing the second supplementary chargesheet.
The murder charge continues to stand against the two alleged shooters, Kurupati Bhuyan and Chishna Pradhan, who are accused of fatally shooting Pitabas Panda. However, all the accused continue to face charges under Section 111 of the BNS for organised crime.
Counsel for the accused, Deepak Pattnaik, said the police had removed the murder charge against 14 accused based on the findings of its investigation, adding that the matter is currently pending before the court.
Another defence lawyer noted that although the murder charge has been dropped, the accused continue to face charges under the organised crime provisions of the BNS, which carry stringent punishment comparable to that prescribed for murder.
Meanwhile, the police have submitted a pen drive containing allegedly objectionable photographs linked to Bikram Panda before the court. The defence has alleged that copies of the digital evidence have not yet been supplied to the accused.
The supplementary chargesheet also cites statements of two witnesses, who told investigators that former MLA Bikram Panda, former Mayor Shiva Shankar Das alias Pindu Das, corporator Malay Bishoyi, BJD leader Madan Dalai, and Shunya Chandra Das had allegedly met during the Kalua Yatra at Gosain Nuagaon last year. According to their statements, the group had discussed the murder of Pitabas Panda during the gathering.
