Kendrapara: A RTI district coordinator was found dead under mysterious condition near Beruhan village under Marshaghai police limits of the district on Saturday.
Sources said some locals of Beruhan village witnessed the body of a youth lying inside a pit on the roadside and immediately informed the matter to police.
Cops rushed to the spot and recovered the body after inspection by a forensic team. After preliminary investigation, police revealed the identity of the youth as Ranjan Das, a resident of Manikpur village under Patapur police station area of Kendrapara. He was reportedly working as an RTI district coordinator.
Police witnessed that a bike was lying above the dead youth but the exact reason behind his death is still uncertain.
Family members of Ranjan informed that he was returning to his home last night when the mishap could have taken place. They further alleged he has been murdered over enmity as he was engaged in RTI activism.
"We came to know about the incident in the morning when someone told us that our son was found dead nearby. I suspect that since he was working as an RTI activist, someone who had a rivalry with him over RTI issues might have killed him," said Laxmidhar Das, father of the deceased.
Asked about the incident, Kendrapara SP Niti Sekhar who also visited the spot to take stock of the situation said that probe has been launched into the matter to find the reason and circumstances that led to the death of the RTI activist.
"It would be improper to make any assumption about the death of the youth now as the case is under probe. As soon as the post-mortem report comes in, we will be able to say something," said the SP.