Bhubaneswar: In a breakthrough statement, Berhampur Superintendent of Police (SP) Saravana Vivek M said the murder of senior advocate and BJP leader Pitabash Panda was not a random act but a calculated hit driven by a mix of political rivalry and personal vendetta.
According to Berhampur SP, the investigation uncovered the hand of ex‑Mayor Siba Shankar Das, aka Pintu Das. Pintu’s aide, Shanti Mishra, had been murdered in 2013. As many as 13 persons were held in this connection. Pitabash Panda was representing the accused in that case. Ex‑Mayor blamed Pitabash Panda for getting the main accused in the 2013 murder of his aide, Shanti Mishra, released on bail. Besides, Pintu had already filed an attempt‑to‑murder case against Pitabash Panda accusing the latter of trying to kill him by opening fire at him.”
SP further stated that the conspiracy had both political and personal dimensions, as Bikram Panda, allegedly feared that Panda’s presence would hinder his political career.
“After the State Bar Council election, animosity between Pitabas Panda and Bikram Panda intensified. Although Pitabas secured the highest vote tally in Odisha, he failed to win the posts of chairman, vice‑chairman or become a member of the Bar Council of India. He blamed Bikram for it and vowed to destroy Bikram’s political career. He had conveyed this threat to Bikram’s aide, who later informed Bikram. That apart, Bikram also accused Pitabas of spreading fake news about him on social media platforms. Thus, Bikram, Pintu and others plotted Pitabash Panda’s murder meticulously over weeks, using detailed surveillance, reconnaissance and multiple execution teams”, maintained SP.
Notably, Pitabas Panda, a member of the State Bar Council, was gunned down on October 6 by two unidentified bike‑borne assailants near his home, under Baidyanathpur police limits. He suffered chest wounds and was rushed to MKCG Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
