5 held for firing at slain BJP leader

BHUBANESWAR: The Crime Branch has arrested five persons for their involvement in attacking and opening fire at BJP leader Manguli Jena in 2016. 

Jena was shot dead on April 14 this year when he was returning from the house of BJP’s Khurda candidate Kalu Khandayatray. He was Khurda (Zone-9) Mandal president of BJP.  

The CB made the arrests in connection with an attack on Jena on August 31, 2016. The arrested persons are Dibyalochan Gajendra, Simanchal Badajena, Pabin Kumar Dalasinghrai, Chandrakanta Pradhan and Ispat Moharana. The accused had had opened fire at Jena before fleeing. 

CB officials said 17 cases were pending against Gajendra, 11 against Badajena, four against Dalasinghrai, three against Moharana and two against Pradhan.

On Monday, the five accused were produced in a court in Tangi and remanded to judicial custody. Police have approached the court seeking remand of the accused for further interrogation.

Crime Branch ADG Santosh Upadhyay said the accused had attacked Jena over some rivalry. On being asked whether the five were also involved in the murder of Jena, Upadhyay said the matter was under investigation.