Berhampur, May 14: Shibashankar Das, an independent candidate vying for the Berhampur Assembly seat, was apprehended by police on Tuesday following an altercation with BJP’s Berhampur Lok Sabha candidate, Pradeep Panigrahi.

The clash reportedly occurred on Monday at Gosaninuagaon during polling at the Utkalmani UP School booth in the state's first-phase elections.

Das faces charges of attempted murder and has been remanded to judicial custody after his bail plea was dismissed.

In a related development, Pradeep Panigrahi, the BJP Lok Sabha candidate, was transferred to Bhubaneswar AIIMS for further treatment following initial care at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur. Panigrahi's wife, Sujata, expressed concerns, attributing the incident to election tensions. She stated, "We came to AIIMS Bhubaneswar as there was a chest fracture and neck injury. All this happened because of the fear of losing the polls. Violence has reached its peak in Odisha while the CM continues to boast about non-violence. People will give a befitting reply."

Powered by Froala Editor