Minister’s brother attacked hours after end of campaign

BARGARH:Hours after campaigning ended for Bijepur Assembly by-poll, Labour Minister Susanta Singh’s brother Subrat Singh and three of his associates came under attack by unidentified miscreants at Banabira village under Sohlea police limits in the district late on Thursday night.

Police suspect it to be a pre-poll violence and arrested three persons in connection with the attack. The accused have been identified as Basudev Naik alias Babu, Digvijaya alias Guddu and Jayaprakash Agrawal.

IG of Police (Northern Range) Susant Kumar Nath said a case has been registered at Sohela police station on the basis of complaint lodged by Bimal Bhoi against four persons. Some people of Samablpur and Chhattisgarh were also involved in the attack. Police teams have been formed to nab all the miscreants involved in the incident, he added.

Basudev, one of the accused, was a ZP candidate of a political party in the last panchayat poll, the IG said. He had contested for the post of ZP member from Sohela block. Further investigation is on, he added.
The three associates of Ministers’ younger brother, who were injured in the incident, have been identified as Kartika Nag, Maagi Sahu and Khageswar Mahamallik. They were rushed to Sohela CHC and later shifted to VIMSAR at Burla for treatment.

As per the complaint lodged by Bimal, a native of Baunsenmura village in Sohela block, he, along with four others, were going towards Hariharanand Kriyayoga Dhyana Kendra, an ashram at Banabira, in an MUV on receiving a tip-off that money was being distributed by the BJP for Bijepur by-poll. Soon after they reached the place, some miscreants came from the ashram and fired at their vehicle. However, the bullet hit the front wheel of the vehicle and they managed to escape from the spot.

Subsequently, they informed Kartika about the incident and they rushed to the spot in a car. But a group of 25 miscreants intercepted the vehicle and attacked them with sticks and weapon injuring them severely. They also damaged the car.On being informed, police rushed to the spot and seized two empty cartridges, one live ammunition, one motorcycle, an MUV and a car.