BERHAMPUR: A former chairman of Beguniapada block in Ganjam district was shot dead by unidentified miscreants on Wednesday.
Police sources said that five miscreants came in a car and allegedly opened fire at BJD leader Debaraj Sahu (53) at Sumandal Chhack when he was discussing with his followers at a tea shop. Sahu died on the spot.
"Five bullets pierced his body. Before anyone could think of anything, the killers fled the spot. The body has been sent for postmortem. Further investigation is on," said a police official.
Sahu was the chairman of the Beguniapada block between 2007 and 2012. He was active in politics for the past two decades.
Though the reason behind the killing has not been ascertained yet, police suspected it could be a fallout of old enmity. Locals, however, alleged that Sahu's rival group might have killed him to settle political scores.
Meanwhile, a car, suspected used in the crime, has been reportedly detained near Banapur in Khurda district. Police have launched a manhunt to arrest the killers.
This is the third political murder in the State in the last month. Earlier, a senior BJP leader and his associate of the Mahanga area in the Cuttack district were brutally killed on January 2.