A youth leader of the BJD was brutally killed and his body thrown off a bridge in the Sheragada area of Ganjam district on Saturday night.
The deceased was identified as Madhusudan Bisoyi (40), a resident of Kumarpani village.
According to sources, Madhusudan was returning to his village when some unidentified miscreants coming in a car and bikes intercepted him at a river bridge. They attacked him with swords and other weapons and threw him off the bridge.
Though Madhusudan was rescued and rushed to a hospital by some locals, he was declared dead by the doctors.
While the killing was suspected to have taken place due to some past rivalry, the exact reason would be ascertained after investigation. The incident could also be the fallout of some political rivalry.
Police started an investigation into the incident. Two persons have been detained by the police in connection with the incident and were being interrogated.