BERHAMPUR: Senior advocate and BJP leader Pitabasa Panda was shot dead at point-blank range in full public glare in Ganjam’s Berhampur on Monday night.
Sources said the advocate left his chamber in Park Street at around 9.40 pm and was heading home on his scooter. He was hardly 50 metres away from his residence at Brahma Nagar under Baidyanathpur police limits when two bike-borne miscreants fired two rounds at him from close range, aiming at his chest.
Panda suffered fatal gunshot wounds and fell from his two-wheeler. He tried to run for his life, but collapsed after covering a few metres. Since the crime scene was crowded due to Kumar Purnima festival, locals picked Panda up and rushed him to MKCG Medical College and Hospital (MCH) on a bike. However, he was declared dead by the doctors.
Panda was a member of the Odisha Bar Council and president of several trade unions. A renowned RTI activist, Panda fought to expose corruption and was a champion of the rights of marginalised communities. He was also considered a close aide of Steel & Mines and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena.
As the news of the cold-blooded murder spread, police rushed to the crime scene and sealed the area. Southern range IG Niti Sekhar and senior police officers visited the spot for investigation. Minister Jena, local BJP leaders, advocates and local trade union leaders visited the MCH to take stock of the situation.
Police said Panda’s body was seized for autopsy and a murder case has been registered in this connection. The footage of CCTV cameras installed in the area is being scanned and a manhunt has been launched to identify and nab the killers.
Panda was in Congress for a long period and had joined the saffron party just before the last general elections. He was the spokesperson of BJP in Ganjam district.