ROURKELA: A murder accused, in his late thirties, was shot at in broad daylight by three motor-bike-borne assailants on the busy ring road near Traffic Gate market under Plant Site police limits of Rourkela here on Monday morning. It appears to be a fallout of a prolonged rivalry between two families.
The incident occurred around 9 am when Avesh Rai, who works as a lineman for an auto-rickshaw stand, was standing near the Traffic Gate. The assailants opened fire at him and sped away.
One among the three assailants was suspected to be the son of a man who Avesh is accused of murdering 20 years ago, in 2004. Police attributed the firing to the prolonged rivalry between the two families with criminal antecedents. DIG (Western Range) Brijesh Kumar Rai the firing incident took place over prolonged enmity involving a series of violent events spread over 23 years.
In 1997, one Bhagwan Sahu had allegedly orchestrated the murder of Avesh’s mother in the Traffic Gate vegetable market. In 2004, Avesh with three of his accomplices, allegedly murdered Bhagwan in the same market.
On the day, Bhagwan’s son Sagar Sahu with two other youths arrived on a motor bike and Sagar allegedly fired at least two rounds at Avesh. Two empty cartridges were recovered from the spot, the DIG said, adding one bullet was stuck in the right side of Avesh’s back. The injured man rushed to Rourkela Government Hospital and his condition was stated to be stable.
The DIG said a manhunt has been launched and asserted to nab the culprits soon. Sources said the family of Avesh resides at the Ganjambasti along the Mahtab Road, while Bhagwan’s family lives in the nearby Traffic Gate Market area.
When Avesh was a minor, Bhagwan had allegedly orchestrated a fatal attack on Avesh’s mother and his elder brother Rajendra in the said market. Avesh’s mother suffered multiple stabbing injuries and died instantly while Rajendra survived. In retaliation, the market was set on fire back then.
Avesh waited for seven years to seek revenge. He and three other co-accused spent several years in jail for Bhagwan’s murder. When it looked like their enmity had died down with passage of 20 years, the fresh attack has surprised the city.