Nabarangpur:
In a shocking incident Umerkote Legislator of the ruling BJD in Odisha, Jagabandhu Majhi, (39) and his personal security officer were shot dead by unidentified men at a public meeting in Gona under Raighar police limit here on Saturday.
As per the statements of the party workers present at the meeting while Mr.Majhi distributing land records to the local villagers at around 1 pm three unidentified men came in a hero honda splender plus bike, two persons opened fire to the personal security officer P.K Patro, during the fire a supporter also critically injured. After they gone near Majhi and fired in the gun of PSO on the back of Majhi on the spot died they shouted some slogans of Maoists.
The bodies of Majhi and his PSO, have been taken to the Raighar Police station and investigation was on as the site was close to Maoist-hit area of Chhattisgarh, involvement of Maoists in the killing was suspected and various aspects were being examined to ascertain the fact, said the Superitendent of Police Niti Sekhar.
Prior to this incident Maoists has also attacked to Majhi on 13th March 2004 at Raighar, while he was attending a marriage ceremony of former chairperson, Bhanumati Majhi,
Mr. Majhi was the president of Pendrani College of Umerkote, in the year 2001, later he was also president of dalit samaj, organized agitations on behalf of local tribal people, in the Raighar block on illegal migrants from Bangladesh, and against the illegal land encroachment of their community land by outside settlers predominantly Bengalis. He was also elected as zilla parisad member, in the year 2007.
After sustaining a major injury to his spinal cord in a Maoist attack in 13th March 2004 while attending a marriage function of former chairperson of Raighar block, Bhanumati Majhi. He joined in the ruling Biju Janata Dal, on 2008, elected as MLA . Mr.Majhi was political worker who rose from grass roots to serve the tribals and his death has evoked tremendous condemnation and revulsion from all quarters.
Mr. Majhi took lead role in the dalit samaj agitation and in the month of June 24th 2001 violent clash broken out in Raigarh over long standing land dispute between tribals and Bengali migrants. In the ethnic violence the police men were forced to fire when tribals started getting violent where 5 people were killed in police firing, more than 300 people were injured and property worth cores of rupees were damaged.
