Berhampur, June 19: The Additional District Magistrate (ADJ-3) in Odisha's Ganjam district on Wednesday convicted four persons for killing two BJD leaders and awarded them life imprisonment.
The convicts have been identified as Budu Das, Kuna Gouda, Prasant Gouda and B Debraj Gouda.
As per reports, the local court held them guilty of murder of Sudarshan Suara (53) and Sudhir Patra (50) in Digapahandi during rural elections in 2022 and delivered the judgment after recording the statements of 28 witnesses. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on each convict. Failure to pay the fine would result in an additional 10 months of imprisonment.
Additional Public Prosecutor Rajat Kumar Das mentioned that five individuals were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
It is worth mentioning that the BJD leaders were attacked and killed on April 23, 2022, over the results of the panchayat elections near Soura Pahada in Chasanimakhandi village while they were returning from a party meeting in Bhismagiri. The two leaders later died from stab wounds.
After the attack, the police arrested nine people for their alleged involvement.
Sources said that the main accused, Prasant Gouda, hired three people to kill the two leaders, blaming them for his wife's loss in the sarpanch election in Nimakandi panchayat.
He allegedly gave the killers a contract worth Rs 50,000 and paid them Rs 30,000 in advance to carry out the murders.
