JAJPUR: Three persons were arrested by Jajpur police on Saturday for allegedly beating up a former sarpanch of Tarapada gram panchayat Laxmidhara Sahoo near Rambag high school on Mangalpur-Jajpur road of the district on Thursday.
The accused were identified as Devdutta Das, Santosh Mohanty and Manas Mohanty. Police said the attack on the former sarpanch is a fallout of past panchayat elections.Though a complaint was filed by Sahoo’s son on Friday, police swung into action reportedly after a video of the accused thrashing the former sarpanch went viral on social media on Saturday.
Sources said Sahoo along with a woman of his village was on way to Jajpur town on Thursday when a group of eight youths waylaid him near the school. One of them then kicked his bike after which the duo fell down and sustained injuries.
The gang then allegedly began hitting him with belts. Though he called for help, no one came to his rescue. After the accused fled the spot, some locals took him to the Jajpur district headquarters hospital for treatment. He was later shifted to SCB medical college and hospital after his condition deteriorated on Thursday night.
He was, however, discharged from hospital on Saturday. “The attack was most likely due to enmity over the past panchayat elections. We have arrested three members of the gang but the main accused is still at large. All of them have meanwhile been identified and efforts are on to nab the rest soon,” said a police official.
The trio was produced in court on Saturday and later remanded in judicial custody after their bail pleas were rejected, he added.