Home guard dies of heart attack while on duty at DRDO ITR in Odisha’s Balasore

A Home Guard personnel collapsed while on duty at the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Odisha’s Balasore district on Sunday night and later died of a heart attack, sources said.

The deceased has been identified as Alekh Jena, a Home Guard from the Nandipada police station area of Keonjhar district. The incident occurred while he was performing his assigned duties at the high-security DRDO facility.

Rushed to Hospital, Declared Dead

Following the incident, colleagues present at the site immediately rushed Jena to the Balasore District Headquarters Hospital (DHH). However, doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Hospital sources later confirmed that the cause of death was a heart attack.

Service Background of the Deceased

Alekh Jena had earlier served at a police station in Keonjhar district before being posted to the DRDO Integrated Test Range. He had been working at the facility for the past few years, according to reports.

Colleagues Raise Concerns Over Pending Dues

Coworkers said the deceased was under considerable stress due to pending salary issues, with payments reportedly overdue for more than two years. However, no official confirmation regarding the matter was available at the time of reporting.

Also Read: Home guard aspirant dies during physical test in Odisha’s Ganjam

Mourning at DRDO ITR Campus

The sudden demise of the Home Guard cast a pall of gloom among colleagues and staff members at the Integrated Test Range. No official response from the authorities had been issued till the filing of this report.