CUTTACK: The husband of Santarabali sarpanch was critically injured after three bike-borne miscreants allegedly opened fire on him at Kuanrpal chowk under Maniabandh police limits in Cuttack on Friday morning.
The injured is Srikant Jena alias Kalia (40), husband of Mita Jena, the BJD-backed sarpanch of Santarabali panchayat under Badamba block. Srikant had reportedly taken his two-year-old son to a barber shop at Kuanrpal Chhak for a haircut at around 9.30 am. While the child was inside the barber shop, Srikant was waiting outside when three unidentified miscreants arrived on a motorcycle and allegedly fired four rounds at him before fleeing the spot.
The bullets struck Srikant’s left hand, left thigh and both sides of his abdomen. Locals rushed him to the Maniabandh community health centre (CHC). He was later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack as his condition was critical. On being informed, senior police officers, including Cuttack (Rural) SP Vinit Agrawal, reached the spot and launched an investigation.
While the exact motive behind the attack is yet to be ascertained, Mita, in her FIR, alleged that contract killers had been hired to murder her husband. She named several persons from Bindhanima and Santarabali villages, accusing them of engaging the criminals due to political rivalry.
Police, however, suspect that the attack may have been linked to previous enmity arising out of Srikant’s alleged criminal activities. Athagarh SDPO Biswajit Mohanty said Srikant has multiple criminal cases registered against him at the local police station. “We are examining all possible angles, and efforts are underway to identify and apprehend the miscreants,” Mohanty said.