Business rivalry behind murder of BJD youth leader: Dhenkanal SP

DHENKANAL: In a major development, the district police on Thursday arrested eight persons in connection with the killing of BJD’s youth wing president of Dhenkanal Jasobant Parida 11 days ago. While two of them were arrested from West Bengal, six others were nabbed from Talcher in Angul and Begunia in Khurda district.Informing this to mediapersons here, Dhenkanal SP Santosh Kumar Nayak said efforts are on to nab three others in connection with the case. Parida was killed over suspected business rivalry on March 26.

The SP said Parida was main advisor to a private construction company which was engaged in several NH and railway projects in Kamakshyanagar sub-division. There was a conflict of interest between Parida and main accused Rakesh Nath of Alutama village in Kamakshyanagar, who wanted to supply construction materials to the company. Rakesh’s father was also working as a security guard in the company, the SP informed.

Due to interference of Parida, Rakesh failed to get works from the company. Later, Rakesh demanded extortion money of `five lakh over telephone from the MD of the company, who refused. Later, Rakesh’s father was sacked from the company over the issue. Nursing a grudge, Rakesh plotted a plan along with his associates to kill Parida. Even they had attempted to kill Parida at Talcher after a party meeting a day before the incident, the SP said.

On the fateful day, Parida was going in his car in Kamakhyanagar in the morning when a group of miscreants came in an SUV and hurled eight bombs at his vehicle near Gandhi Mandir in full public glare. Under attack, Parida came out of his vehicle and started running. But the attackers resorted to indiscriminate firing. As the seriously injured Parida fell down on the road, the miscreants fled, abandoning their vehicle. The BJD leader was rushed to hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.