Bhubaneswar, Mar 7: A court in Odisha's Keonjhar district on Wednesday sentenced five convicts to death for the gruesome murder of a local political leaderin the Ghasipura area of the district on March 25, 2019.

The convicts were identified as Nira alias Ajit Prusty, Alekha Prusty, Arun Prusty, Sanjit Prusty alias Chilu, and Dola Boitei of Badaektali village in the Ghasipura area of Keonjhar.

"On March 25, 2019, an inhuman and ghastly murder was committed in Dhakota area over past enmity. The Additional District & Sessions Court, Anandpur, in Keonjhar pronounced the judgement in this connection on Wednesday. On the above day, six accused persons, including a minor, went to the house of Rama Chandra Behera at around 10.30 p.m. on the plea of discussing some important matter,” said Additional Public Prosecutor Aswini Mallick.

"The accused had a friendly conversation with Behera and asked him to come outside his home for further discussions. When he came outside, the accused persons dragged Behera to a spot in front of his residence and chopped him into pieces with sharp weapons," he added.

Behera, the former block Chairman of Anandpur in Keonjhar, had also fought Assembly elections from Ghasipura constituency as an independent candidate in 2014. His murder had then attracted widespread public outcry in the district.

Based on the complaint filed by his daughter Minarani Behera, Ghasipura police registered a case and arrested the accused persons. The court after examining statements of 53 witnesses, 91 exhibits and video and audio evidence, sentenced five accused persons to death after holding them guilty of murdering Behera.

The minor accused, currently lodged in the juvenile home, did not face the trial.

(IANS)

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