KEONJHAR: Days ahead of the first phase elections in the State, murder of a former MLA candidate, who was about to join BJD on Tuesday, rocked Keonjar district.
Former chairman of Anandpur block and independent MLA candidate in the 2014 assembly election from Ghasipura Ramachandra Behera was hacked to death by a group of miscreants at Dhakotha village on Monday late night.
Sources said, more than 10 miscreants arrived at the residence of Behera at about 10.30 pm and asked him to open the door. They attacked him with sharp weapons after he opened the door.
A critically injured Behera was rushed to nearby Anandpur hospital. He, however, succumbed to his injuries on the way to SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack.
A former supporter of independent MLA from Champua Sanatan Mahukud, Behera had a strong political background in Ghasipura. He was supposed to join BJD along with his supporters on Tuesday.
After his death news spread in the locality, hundreds of irate locals blocked the National Highway No. 20 near Dhakotha for over four hours demanding immediate arrest of the accused persons.
The blockade was withdrawn after Ghasipura police arrested four people in this connection. The accused Sanjib Prusty, Ajit Prusty, Dologobinda Boitai and Pramod Das are being interrogated.
While the reasons behind the murder are yet to be ascertained, locals alleged that it was a fallout of old political rivalry.
Meanwhile, suspecting the hands of School and Mass Education Minister Badri Narayan Dhal, who is a local BJD leader, behind the murder, BJP candidate from Ghasipura Prithwiraj Kuanar has demanded an independent enquiry into the incident.
When contacted, Patra rubbished the allegations and said the BJP was trying to tarnish his image by falsely implicating him in the murder. Daring to face any enquiry he said he had no enmity with Behera and he was to join the BJD.