BHUBANESWAR/BHADRAK: The body of a BJD leader and former sarpanch bearing injury marks was recovered near Bandhagan within Bhadrak Rural police limits on Wednesday morning.
Police suspect the deceased, Chita Ranjan Rout (50) was possibly murdered and an investigation has been launched into the matter. Sources said Rout had left his home to attend the 11th day rituals of a deceased villager on Tuesday evening but did not return till late at night. Locals spotted his body on the roadside near a farm and informed the police at around 7 am on the day.
Police said the injury marks on Rout’s head and other parts of the body suggest he could have been murdered. However, they are yet to confirm whether it is a case of homicide and the motive behind it. Bhadrak SP Sandeep Madkar, Rural police station officers and a scientific team visited the spot to investigate the matter.
“The possibility of Rout being murdered has not been ruled out. A probe has been launched and more details will emerge after the postmortem report is received,” said Madkar. DSP Anshuman Dwivedi said Rout’s motorcycle and mobile phone are missing and his body has been sent for postmortem.
Rout’s family members claimed he did not have enmity with anyone. He was reportedly the president of Ambaroli Service Cooperative Society limited and was quite popular in the village. Sources said the area from where Rout’s body was recovered is close to Bandhagan. A large gathering had assembled there on Tuesday evening to attend ‘asta prahari’ programme. Meanwhile, the locals demanded that the police should investigate if Rout was murdered for any political reasons.