Old grudge led to Kolathia student’s murder: Police

Bhubaneswar: The brutal murder of Plus III student Krushna Chandra Padhi (20) inside his residence in Kolathia here on Monday stemmed from an old grudge, with the police saying he was targetted for allegedly harassing a girl (17) who earlier rejected his love plea.

Police have disclosed this motive after detaining two juvenile friends of the girl—a Class X student (16) and a Class XII student (17)—on Tuesday on charges of carrying out the attack. Padhi’s father, Himanshu (65), a temple priest who sustained grievous injuries while resisting the assailants, succumbed at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.Police officials said the Plus II girl had sought the boys’ help to stop Padhi’s persistent advances.

Officers emphasised that the girl was not held responsible for the killing, as she had not asked them to eliminate Padhi but only to intervene and put an end to his advances. All four were known to each other from a coaching centre.“After rejecting Padhi’s proposal three months ago, the girl faced repeated harassment. About 25 days ago, the two boys confronted Padhi at a park in Khandagiri, but he assaulted them. That incident appears to have triggered their plan for revenge.

Perceived harassment of the girl was the motive of the murder,” said commissioner of police S Dev Datta Singh.Armed with iron rods and chili powder, the juveniles allegedly broke open the main door of Padhi’s house around 2.30 am Monday, stormed with their faces covered, and attacked him. His father and sister were also assaulted when they tried to intervene.“There were no immediate clues at the crime scene. Padhi’s sister could not identify the attackers. But during investigation, we uncovered the personal dispute and zeroed in on the suspects,” DCP Jagmohan Meena said. The boys, who lived nearby, were picked up from their homes. “They claimed their intention was only to throw chili powder at Padhi. But given their preparations—masks, iron rods—it is evident they intended to kill,” the DCP said.A neighbour called the incident shocking and senseless. “It is disturbing to see young students turning aggressive and straying into crime over trivial emotional disputes,” said neighbour Sarada Jagadev.