Lawyers protest in Jagatsinghpur on Thursday against the murder of Jagannath Das. Telegraph picture

Paradip, Oct. 4: The alleged murder of a practising lawyer has sparked off an agitation in Jagatsinghpur with members of the district bar association staying away from judicial proceedings today.

The blindfolded body of Jagannath Das, 40, was found lying in blood near Bayalishmauza bridge in the Biridi police station jurisdiction early morning today.

The lawyers hit the streets and blocked main road outside the civil court for two hours in protest against the killing.

They lifted the roadblock after police assured them of nabbing the culprits shortly, said inspector of Jagatsinghpur police station Satish Ray.

Manorama Malick, inspector of Biridi police station, said: “It’s beyond doubt that the lawyer was murdered. He was spotted blindfolded. Bloodstains were spotted on nose. Scientific team and forensic experts from the state police are visiting the spot to help us in investigation.”

“We have given a memorandum to the Jagatsinghpur superintendent of police and sought for the arrest of culprits at the earliest. We have also demanded a probe by the crime branch wing of state police,” said district bar association president Raj Kumar Khatua.