AIIMS Bhubaneswar Lab Assistant Shot Dead; Property Dispute Suspected

Bhubaneswar: A lab assistant from AIIMS Bhubaneswar was shot dead by unidentified assailants near Ransinghpur under Khandagiri police limits early Monday morning.

The deceased, identified as Sudhanshu Khuntia, was attacked while returning home after completing his night shift at the hospital. He sustained a bullet injury on his lower left chest, lost control of his motorcycle, and fell to the ground.

Khuntia, a resident of Sarkhanta village on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, was rushed to AIIMS Hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

While the exact motive behind the shooting remains unclear, police suspect a link to an ancestral property dispute in his native village. Tension flared in the area following the incident, with reports of a clash between two rival groups allegedly involved in the land conflict.

The Khandagiri police have launched a detailed investigation, collecting CCTV footage from nearby roads to identify the attackers and determine the circumstances leading to the murder.