Seven months after the incident, State Crime Branch police on Sunday arrested the prime accused in the case of murder of Kendrapada’s Singiri gram panchayat sarpanch Chitrasen Das from Kolkata.
A Crime Branch team arrested Khirod Das for his alleged complicity in the murder. He was later produced in the JMFC Court at Ali.
Khirod was a close associate of the deceased. However, he fell out of favour with Chitrasen and joined hands with the latter’s political adversary. It may be recalled that Chitrasen was on June 8 last beaten to death by unidentified persons near Chandibazaar Chhak. He was attacked by a group while he was on his way to Ali by a bike at around 6 am. The miscreants thrashed him mercilessly, resulting in his death while undergoing treatment.
Chitrasen’s family members had filed an FIR against seven persons. Police had said that the sarpanch of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) was lynched due to political rivalry.