News from Odisha

Jajpur Forest officials busted a wildlife smuggling racket on Tuesday. The sleuths of Jajpur Forest Division arrested two persons from Bhikipur Reserve Forest area under Jajpur Road Police limits.

The Commissionerate Police of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack has busted another racket involved in illegal firearm trade in Cuttack on Tuesday. The Police seized seven country-made guns, 35 bullets, other weapons and a car. A home guard along with 12 other persons involved in the racket were arrested in the case.

A shocking revelation has emerged in the Pari murder case. As per reliable sources, Pari was sexually assaulted before being brutally murdered. Earlier today, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had submitted a status report regarding probe in Orissa High Court. Sources said that the report mentions about sexual assault of Pari before her murder. The report also states about finding evidence of sexual assault on the clothes worn by Pari.

After a brief lull, the Aditya Dash death case took a dramatic turn after the victim’s wife Bidyashree attempted suicide. Bidyashree attempted to kill herself by ingesting sleeping pills. In a disturbing move, Bidyashree streamed the whole act on Facebook.

Vijay Diwas was celebrated at 120 Infantry Battalion in Bhubaneswar today. Army officials paid floral tributes at the memorial pillar of soldiers, who were martyred in the 1971 war. Families of the martyred soldiers were also felicitated on the occasion.

When the entire state has been demanding justice for Pari, this young kid has come up with her own innovative way to appeal to Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik. Ashwini, a 7–year-old girl from Bhubaneswar cycled from Nandan-Vihar Petrol Pump to CM Naveen’s residence Naveen Niwas demanding justice for Pari. She has written a letter to CM Naveen Patnaik, requesting justice for Pari. Ashwini said that she will write letters to the PM and President seeking justice for Pari.  

As the ongoing protests demanding justice for Pari continues to intensify in state, Odisha BJP State president Samir Mohanty said that the party will take out a rally from December 20 till 24 to intensify the agitation against alleged inaction of the government and police in the Pari murder case.

From the infamous alleys of the capital city to a dharna at Gandhi Marg in Bhubaneswar. These are the sex workers of Bhubaneswar, who have taken to the streets demanding dry ration and Rs. 5000/- cash assistance from the government as directed by the Supreme Court.  

Saroj Sethi, a resident from Pari’s native village Jadupur in Nayagarh district has levelled severe allegations against the Special Investigation Team lead, IG Arun Bothra. Saroj has alleged that Arun Bothra, who is currently heading the probe, offered him Rs 5 lakh to take all the blame in the case.  

Another Maoist attack in Malkangiri. Maoists allegedly axed a road contractor named Sukumar Mondal to death at Golia area under Mathili police limits of Malkangiri district today. The Maoists also set a car and road construction machines on fire.

The 2021 Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) mains will be conducted in four sessions in February, March, April and May next year. This was informed by Union Education Minister, Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in a tweet on Wednesday.

COVID warriors & elderly people to get free vaccination. The Odisha government on Thursday announced that Corona Warriors including doctors and other frontline health workers will get free COVID-19 vaccination in the State. The State Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Das said that the vaccination is likely to begin in January 2021.  

Preparations to reopen Lord Jagannath’s Srimandir in Puri from December 23 have begun. The Srimandir has remained closed for devotees for the last nine months due to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic.

This incident occurred when the youth came in contact with the live wire over a stationary train while clicking a selfie on his cellphone. Soon the tarpaulin covered over the train also caught fire and it also spread to the bogie.  

Panic gripped the residents at Lunapahi village in Balasore district after some heavy object, believed to be a part of a missile fell in a nearby farmland close to human settlement. The object landed with a deafening noise, waking the villagers on Wednesday night. It is suspected that these objects could be pieces of a missile test-fired from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur.