Bhubaneswar: A daily wage labourer was allegedly beaten to death by a group of men in Gayatri slum in the Old Town area here in the early hours of Friday. The deceased, Jitu Kandi, believed to be in his 40s, was fatally assaulted following a late‑night drinking session with some locals, police sources said.According to police, Kandi went to the house of a betel shopkeeper at Gayatri basti on Thursday night, where he and a few others consumed alcohol till the early hours. Preliminary investigation indicates that a quarrel broke out between Kandi and another man. “The altercation spiralled into a violent assault that ultimately led to his death,” an officer of Shree Lingaraj police station said.Officials suspect the crime may have been fuelled by old enmity. “We are probing whether past disputes played a role. At this stage, no motive is being ruled out. We are also verifying Kandi’s antecedents to ascertain if he had any criminal record,” the officer added.Five men and a woman have been detained for questioning. “We are interrogating all those present at the scene. Their statements will help us reconstruct the sequence of events and identify the prime accused,” the officer said.Police said forensic experts were called to examine the spot, while the post‑mortem will establish the exact cause of death. “We will ensure the culprits face strict legal consequences. No one involved will be spared,” the officer said. Relatives and friends of Kandi staged a road blockade at Garage Chowk, placing his body on the road and demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible. The protest continued for over an hour, bringing traffic to a halt.Residents of the slum expressed shock over the incident. “We often saw anti‑socials gathering at the betel shop to drink and take drugs. We had raised objections to the late‑night nuisance. Even police had warned the shopkeeper and others who were regularly assembling there,” a local resident said.Another dweller added: “Alcohol‑related quarrels have become disturbingly frequent in the basti. We have repeatedly urged police authorities to keep a check, but no concrete action has been taken so far.”
