Tragic Death of 28-Year-Old Sparks Investigation in Patana Village

Incident Overview

Patana: A tragic incident unfolded in Ankura Uppar Sahi, located within the Patana police jurisdiction of Keonjhar district, where a 28-year-old man was reportedly killed in a coordinated attack by fellow villagers, according to police reports on Thursday.

The victim has been identified as Gangadhar Naik, the son of Bhaktabandhu Naik.

Following a complaint filed by the victim's father, authorities have initiated a case and detained a couple, while two other suspects remain at large.

According to the complaint, Gangadhar had gone to observe the swollen Baitarani river on Wednesday evening.

At the same time, Hiramani, the wife of Dinabandhu Patra, along with her son Soumyaranjan and daughter-in-law Bijuli, were outside their residence at Jhapa Sahi.

It is alleged that Gangadhar verbally assaulted Hiramani over an undisclosed matter, which incited Soumyaranjan to confront him.

In a fit of rage, Soumyaranjan dragged Gangadhar into their courtyard, where he, along with his family members, viciously assaulted him using a wooden plank after restraining his limbs.

Subsequently, Soumyaranjan contacted another villager, Lucky Naik, asking him to inform Gangadhar's father. Bhaktabandhu hurried to the scene and found his son in critical condition.

After returning home, Gangadhar went to bed but was discovered dead by his mother when she attempted to wake him on Thursday morning.

In response to the complaint lodged at the Patana police station, officers, including IIC Manas Kumar Mahakur, ASI Saroj Kumar Sethi, and constable Lakshman Majhi, commenced an investigation.

Police have detained Dinabandhu and his wife, while their son and daughter-in-law are reportedly evading capture.

A forensic team from Keonjhar has also been deployed to assist in the investigation, with Ghatagaon SDPO Bijay Krushna Mahapatra visiting the site to assess the situation.