JHARSUGUDA: The Additional District and Sessions Court, Jharsuguda on Friday sentenced Prabin Kumar Dhurua to life imprisonment in the sensational murder case of former Sambalpur University vice-chancellor Dhrubraj Naik.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the 24-year-old convict. Failure to pay the fine will result in additional jail term of six months for Dhurua. The convict and Naik were residents of Sirisguda Kunwarmal village within Laikera police limits.
At around 1:30 am on June 27, 2021, Dhurua fatally attacked Naik with an axe in front of his house. Naik was rushed to Jharsuguda district headquarters hospital where doctors declared him dead. On basis of the complaint filed by Naik’s relative Udaya Kumar Patel, Laikera police registered a case and arrested Dhurua.
Dhurua committed the crime as he was nursing a grudge against Naik, a member of the local forest committee. The retired professor had repeatedly warned the convict against illegally collecting firewood from the forest. The duo had also quarrelled over fishing rights before the murder.
During the trial, the prosecution led by public prosecutor Gangadhar Garnayak, presented 22 witnesses and 32 documents. After examining the evidence, Judge Subhas Chandra Dhal awarded life sentence to Dhurua.