Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government today suspended Assistant Commandant Gopabandhu Tripathy while holding him responsible for the landmine blast incident in Sunki Ghat of Koraput district on February 1 in which eight Odisha State Armed Police (OSAP) personnel lost their lives.
Talking to newsmen, the Home department’s Special Secretary Lalit Das stated Tripathy has been put under suspension for dereliction of duty in connection with the Sunki landmine blast.
Notably, the blast took place near Mungarbhumi on Sunki Ghat, barely one km from Andhra Pradesh border, on Wednesday when 13 OSAP personnel, mostly police drivers, were on their way to Angul in a police vehicle for official training.
The explosion was so powerful that the hilly road was almost uprooted and the police vehicle was thrown off. While six cops died on the spot, two others succumbed to their injuries later.
Other critically injured policemen due to the landmine blast are undergoing treatment at a Vishakhapatnam hospital.