Kendrapara: A businessman has been shot at by bike-borne miscreants in Odisha's Kendrapara district, triggering tension among locals.
Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Rajib Lochan Panda said Bibekanand Moharana, who runs a transport business, was returning home from work on Saturday night when the miscreants opened fire at him near Danda Munda Chowk.
Panda further added that he was first rushed to the district headquarters hospital here and then shifted to SCB Medical College & Hospital in Cuttack, where his condition was stated to be critical.
Preliminary investigation suggests that business rivalry might have led to the attack on Moharana, who is also the district wing chief of Sangh Parivar-affiliated Dharma Rakhya Sena.
According to police, the miscreants were probably hired by a rival businessman.
Locals, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits, staged a demonstration on Sunday morning on the busy Cuttack-Chandballi state highway, bringing traffic to a halt for several hours.
SDPO stated that police have beefed up the security in the area in the wake of the attack and subsequent protests.
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