A court in Odisha's Keonjhar district has sentenced five persons to death for the murder of politician Rama Chandra Behera in 2019.
The additional district and sessions judge of Anandpur pronounced the verdict on Tuesday based on the testimony of 53 witnesses and 94 documents, additional public prosecutor Aswini Kumar Mallick said.
The five convicts are Sanjay Prusty, Ajit Prusty, Arun Prusty, Alekh Prusty and Dola Boitei. One of the accused Pramod Das, who was a minor then, is under judicial custody of a child care institute (CCI), Mallick added.
Rama Chandra Behera, a former block chairman, was brutally murdered near his residence at Dhakotha village in Keonjhar district on March 25, 2019, prior to the general and state assembly polls.
The perpetrators visited Rama Chandra Behera's house, called him out, and then killed him. Additionally, they mutilated his body.
He was initially taken to the sub-divisional hospital in Anandpur and subsequently referred to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. However, he succumbed to his injuries on the way to Cuttack, police said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
NDA's Maharashtra Win: Has BJP Blunted Rahul Gandhi's Constitution Challenge?
Thai Woman Gets Death Sentence After Poisoning 14 Friends With Cyanide 7-Year-Old's Neighbour Sentenced To Death For Her Rape And Murder In Kolkata 3 US Citizens Sentenced To Death In Congo Over Role In Failed Coup 3 Dead, Over 30 Cops Injured: Violence In UP's Sambhal Over Mosque Survey Autopsy Reveals Chilling Details Of Family Kidnapped, Killed In Manipur Manipur Cops Walk 3 Hours To Raze Poppy Farms, Face "90 Armed Miscreants" Married Man Kills Live-In Partner, Burns Her Body In Haryana: Cops 15-Year-Old Girl Raped By Truck Driver In Madhya Pradesh Forest: Police Eknath Shinde Elected As Leader Of Shiv Sena Legislature Party Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.