Overview
- Panda, a senior advocate, RTI activist and BJP leader, was shot at close range by two bike-borne assailants near his Berhampur home and was declared dead at MKCG Medical College and Hospital.
- Investigators formed multiple teams—six in Berhampur by October 8—questioned about 30 people, reviewed footage from more than 75 cameras and carried out raids at around 20 locations.
- Post-mortem findings retrieved a bullet and indicated a single close-range chest wound causing fatal hemorrhage and shock, with the exact firearm to be confirmed by ballistic tests.
- The Bar Council of India demanded a Special Investigation Team, witness protection and time-bound prosecution as Odisha bar bodies led a statewide ‘pen-down’ strike and protest marches.
- Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi directed exemplary punishment and oversight of the probe, while opposition figures assailed the government over law-and-order concerns.