Bhubaneswar: In a significant ruling, the Salipur Additional District and Sessions Judge in Cuttack sentenced nine individuals to life imprisonment on Wednesday for their involvement in the widely reported Mahanga double murder case.
The court, however, acquitted one person due to insufficient evidence related to the heinous murder of BJP leader Kulamani Baral and his associate Dibyasingh Baral on January 2, 2021.
Sources say that on that tragic day, senior BJP leader Kulamani and his relative Divyasingh (82) were savagely killed over a dispute concerning a housing scheme. A complaint was lodged at the Mahanga police station, and 13 individuals were implicated as accused.
It’s noteworthy that the Mahanga double murder case incited a political uproar, with the BJP organizing protests and accusing former BJD Minister Pratap Jena of involvement.
The FIR filed by the deceased’s family listed 13 suspects. Subsequently, the police detained 10 individuals, and Jena’s name was later included. Jena’s case is currently pending in the Orissa High Court.
While the police apprehended and brought 10 suspects to trial, the prime suspect, Prafulla Biswal, remained at large. He met a mysterious end in a truck accident in February of the previous year.
