PURI: At least two unknown assailants allegedly gunned down a servitor of the Jagannath temple on Wednesday morning. The servitor Krushana Chandra Pratihari was shot dead inside Barabati jagaghar (school of traditional martial arts) at Harchandi Sahi under Puri Town police limits over past enmity, sources said.
Sources said there was a heated argument between the assailants and Pratihari before the former fired at him from a close range about 10.40 am killing him on the spot.
Pratihari was a former member of the Sri Jagannath temple managing committee and general secretary of Suar Mahasuar Nijog.
Locals rushed Pratihari to district headquarters hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. Town police recovered the body and sent it for postmortem.
The deceased's brother Narasingh Pratihari has lodged a complaint naming at least three persons for killing Pratihari. Police have recovered two empty bullets and a pair of footwear from the spot.
Sources said police have identified the youths from CCTV footage. The footage of other commercial and private establishments located along the exit routes are being scanned. The entry and exit routes have been sealed and searching of vehicles has begun.
Puri SP K Vishal Singh said efforts are on to arrest the killers. The police of nearby districts have been alerted about the murder and four teams have been formed to locate them, he said.
Local people alleged that the murder was a fall out of enmity between two groups. On 12 September 2012, a powerful servitor of Puri temple Taluchha Bhagban Simhari was shot dead from point-blank range in Panchayat Jagaghar located in Harchandi Sahi. He was a member of the civic body council.
Police had then arrested six persons including Pratihari in the Simhari murder case and charge-sheeted them. After a prolonged legal fight for nine years, the Additional Sessions Court had acquitted all the accused persons on January 19.
Earlier, miscreants had fired three bullets on BJD leader and former Minister Maheswar Mohanty while the trial of Simhari murder case was on, but he survived. Police had arrested five persons in this connection.
The fresh murder in Harchandi Sahi has spread panic among locals, who claimed all these incidents are connected. Police presence in the area has been beefed up.
"We are investigating the case from different angles. There were a number of persons inside the Jagaghar at the time of the killing but none has come forward to narrate the incident and name the killers," said a police officer.