Odisha: Former BJD sarpanch, husband found murdered; bodies dumped in a well

Former woman sarpanch of Biju Janata Dal and her husband found murdered and their bodies dumped in a well near their house in Keonjhar district.

Updated on: Sep 14, 2023, 15:23:40 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A former woman sarpanch of Biju Janata Dal and her ‘gram rakhi’ husband were found murdered and their bodies dumped in a well near their house on Thursday morning, the police said.

Locals alerted the police about the murder of Rambha Patra, the former sarpanch of K Balipala grampanchayat under Hatadihi block of Keonjhar district, and her husband Niranjan Patra, a ‘gram rakhi’ from Mayurnacha village.

“Bloodstains were found in their house. After a frantic search, their bodies were found dumped in a well near their house,” Keonjhar SP Kusalkar Nitin Dagudu said.

Police recovered the bodies and registered a case based on the complaint by the nephew of the deceased. The exact reason for the murder is yet to be known, the police said, adding that a probe is on.

Rambha Patra was a sarpanch between 2017 and 2022.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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