Sambalpur: Police on Tuesday secured three-day remand of the truck driver accused of killing two local BJP members in what was earlier thought to be a road accident near Kantapali overbridge here early Sunday morning.
The incident, which occurred around 1:30 am on the NH-53, claimed the lives of Goshala BJP mandal president Debendra Nayak and former sarpanch Muralidhar Chhuria. Two other injured passengers are being treated at Vimsar, Burla.
“We had requested a seven-day remand. The court granted three days for further interrogation,” said Himanshu Lal, inspector general (northern range). “The motive remains unclear at this stage,” he added.
Police said the fly ash-laden tipper truck, driven by Prasanna Jenamani from Angul district, repeatedly rammed into the victims’ car. The initial collision occurred on the highway, followed by two more hits, with the final one causing the car to overturn on a village road where the victims had attempted to escape.
Jemanani claimed it was an accident and denied any personal enmity or contract killing allegations. “The first hit happened due to vehicle imbalance, the second because I dozed off, and the last one was due to loss of control,” he said.
However, Sambalpur MLA Jaynarayan Mishra said, “I believe the driver had taken a contract to kill someone else and mistakenly targeted these workers.”
Police probe revealed that Jemanani has no criminal record or previous conflict with the BJP workers. Family members said he was short-tempered, but he has been driving since 2007 with no major incidents.
The victims were returning from former MLA Nauri Nayak’s residence in Bhubaneswar when the incident occurred. Police are continuing their investigation to determine the exact circumstances and motive.
Sambalpur: Police on Tuesday secured three-day remand of the truck driver accused of killing two local BJP members in what was earlier thought to be a road accident near Kantapali overbridge here early Sunday morning.
The incident, which occurred around 1:30 am on the NH-53, claimed the lives of Goshala BJP mandal president Debendra Nayak and former sarpanch Muralidhar Chhuria. Two other injured passengers are being treated at Vimsar, Burla.
“We had requested a seven-day remand. The court granted three days for further interrogation,” said Himanshu Lal, inspector general (northern range). “The motive remains unclear at this stage,” he added.
Police said the fly ash-laden tipper truck, driven by Prasanna Jemanani from Angul district, repeatedly rammed into the victims’ car. The initial collision occurred on the highway, followed by two more hits, with the final one causing the car to overturn on a village road where the victims had attempted to escape.
Jemanani claimed it was an accident and denied any personal enmity or contract killing allegations. “The first hit happened due to vehicle imbalance, the second because I dozed off, and the last one was due to loss of control,” he said.
However, Sambalpur MLA Jaynarayan Mishra said, “I believe the driver had taken a contract to kill someone else and mistakenly targeted these workers.”
Police probe revealed that Jemanani has no criminal record or previous conflict with the BJP workers. Family members said he was short-tempered, but he has been driving since 2007 with no major incidents.
The victims were returning from former MLA Nauri Nayak’s residence in Bhubaneswar when the incident occurred. Police are continuing their investigation to determine the exact circumstances and motive.