Dead Or Alive In Bhubaneswar Blast? Family Conducts Symbolic Funeral Of ‘Missing’ Ganjam Youth

Berhampur: Where is Simanchal Parida, the youth from Ganjam district who allegedly went missing under mysterious circumstances after a massive explosion ripped through a petrol pump near Raj Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday?

Though Commissionerate Police or State government is yet to confirm the whereabouts of Simanchal, his family members on Saturday conducted a ‘symbolic funeral’ back in his native village presuming him to be dead in the blast.

As per reports, the symbolic funeral was conducted by Simanchal’s family at Guhanga village under Aska block of Ganjam district.

“We had gone to Bhubaneswar and failed to get any information about Simanchal. Presuming him to be dead, we have conducted a symbolic funeral. We urge the Odisha government to help his family,” said a relative of Simanchal.

As per official sources, the death toll in Bhubaneswar petrol pump blast stands at one while another critically injured person is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

It is pertinent to mention here that the family members had made several rounds of various hospitals in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to get information about Simanchal after they failed to contact him over phone soon after the news of the explosion broke on television.

Earlier speaking to OTV, the family members claimed that Simanchal was a diploma engineer by training and was engaged in LPG maintenance work after he recently moved to Bhubaneswar from Kolkata.

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