Bhubaneswar, Oct. 8 -- Lawyers in Odisha have strongly condemned the brutal murder of senior advocate Pitabas Panda, calling for a statewide pen-down strike in protest on Wednesday. The decision came after an emergency meeting of the Odisha State Bar Council, which described the killing heinous.

In a press release issued after the meeting, the Council announced that lawyers across the state would abstain from work, demanding immediate action from the government.

The Council has set a 48-hour deadline for the arrest of the culprits involved in the murder. It also demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the bereaved family and the formation of a high-level judicial commission to probe the case and submit its report within three months....