Bhubaneswar:

A court in Odisha’s Nayagarh district on Friday sentenced a person to death for killing two persons including an elderly woman in Odagaon area of the district in 2019.

The convict was identified as Niranjan Mallik of Kushadhipa village in Nayagarh district.

Niranjan, who was addicted to alcohol and other psychotropic substances, used to engage in violent acts against women in his village and other nearby areas, an official said.

“On January 17, 2019, Niranjan killed a night watchman, Lochan Sethi, who was on duty at Odagaon vegetable market and a 70-year-old woman, Badani Pradhan inside her house. Three other persons including the deceased Pradhan’s daughter also sustained grievous injuries in the attack,” said Indubhushan Mishra, Additional Public Prosecutor, Odagaon.

Mr Mishra further stated that the court, after examining the statements of 27 witnesses and other exhibits, pronounced the death sentence holding Niranjan guilty. The convict has also been directed by the court to deposit a fine of Rs 50,000.

Meanwhile, the court has instructed the officials of Nayagarh District Legal Services Authority to pay financial compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the deceased persons’ family members.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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.)

New Delhi:

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday expressed shock over eight former Indian Navy personnel being handed down the death sentence by a court in Qatar and said the entire case is shrouded in “mystery and opacity”. The navy personnel were on Thursday handed down the death sentence by a court in Qatar, a verdict that was described as “deeply shocking” by India as it vowed to explore all legal options.

In a post on X, Mr Tharoor said, “Shocked to learn that Qatar has passed a death sentence on eight former Indian Navy officers. The details of the entire case are shrouded in mystery & opacity.” “Trust @MEAIndia & @PMOIndia will act immediately with the highest levels of the Qatar government to support an appeal and bring them home,” the former minister of state for external affairs said.

Shocked to learn that #Qatar has passed a death sentence on eight former @IndianNavy officers. The details of the entire case are shrouded in mystery & opacity. Trust @MEAIndia & @PMOIndia will act immediately with the highest levels of the Qatar government to support an appeal…

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 27, 2023

The Indian nationals, who worked with private company Al Dahra, were arrested in August last year reportedly in an alleged case of espionage. Neither the Qatari authorities nor New Delhi made the charges against the Indian nationals public.

In its reaction to the death sentence, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said it is attaching “high importance” to this case and is exploring all legal options.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)