A 25-year-old youth, Sudhanshu Khuntia, was shot dead in Sarakanatra village under Khandagiri police limits, Bhubaneswar, following a bitter dispute over ancestral property.
Sudhanshu, who worked as a lab assistant at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, was attacked by his cousin Siba Khuntia and uncle Sukanta Khuntia. The duo fired two rounds, hitting Sudhanshu in the hand and thigh. As he tried to escape, they chased him down and shot him in the chest at point-blank range. He collapsed on the spot and was later declared dead at AIIMS hospital.
Police have detained the accused, including Siba, Sukanta, and another relative, and are conducting further interrogation. The incident has shocked the local community.
The murder stemmed from a long-standing feud over a small patch of ancestral land. Sukanta, who lives with his in-laws, had been demanding a share of the property despite losing a legal case in court. The dispute escalated when the court ruled against him, leading to resentment and rage.
Sudhanshu’s father, Pathani Khuntia, resides on the disputed land. The tension between the two families had been simmering for months, with multiple attempts at mediation failing. During the attack, another villager, Gyanaranjan Pradhan, was also injured while trying to intervene.
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