ROURKELA: A person was killed and nine others suffered grievous injuries after a man reportedly attacked them with a ploughshare in their sleep at Sahajbahal village under Baragon police limits in Sundargarh district on Saturday night.
The deceased was identified as Raj Kumar Barua (56) of Lakuapada hamlet in Sahajbahal village. The accused, Jugeswar Rohidas (47), has been detained but police are yet to ascertain the motive behind the savage assault.
IIC of Bargaon police station Dinesh Kumar Patta said the incident took place between 11.30 pm and 12 am in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. Barua and other villagers were sleeping outside their houses when Rohidas first attacked Barua with a ploughshare. On hearing Barua’s screams for help, his wife and others rushed to his rescue. But they too were allegedly attacked by the accused. Barua’s wife, two other women and six men suffered different degrees of injuries.
Patta said Barua was rushed to Sundargarh district headquarters hospital (DHH) and later taken to VIMSAR, Burla in a critical condition. He was being shifted from Burla to JP Hospital at Rourkela on Sunday morning when he succumbed on the way. Four injured persons have been admitted to the DHH and rest were discharged after preliminary treatment.
The IIC said during interrogation, Rohidas appeared to be mentally stable and offered no conclusive reason for his brutal act. The accused claimed that he did not know why and how he committed the crime. Further questioning of the accused is continuing. Investigation is underway from all angles, he added.
Later in the day, police handed over Barua’s body to his family after autopsy and registered a murder case.
Police sources said the accused worked as a labourer. After being estranged from his wife, he was living with his mother and two daughters.