Students protest, block road after Kujang College Lecturer killed in accident

Tension prevailed in the Kujang area of Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district on Sunday following the death of a Kujang College lecturer in a road accident. Agitated students staged protests and blocked the Cuttack–Paradeep road, demanding compensation for the victim’s family and improved road safety measures.

The lecturer was killed after being hit by a truck near Zero Point on National Highway No. 53 on Saturday evening.

Protests and Demands

Following the incident, college students took to the streets and blocked the Cuttack–Paradeep road as part of their agitation, leading to traffic disruption in the area. The road blockade was later cleared at the time of reporting.

The protesting students demanded compensation for the family of the deceased lecturer and sought employment for his wife. They also called for increased deployment of police personnel at Zero Point, citing frequent accidents in the area due to ongoing highway construction work.

The students alleged that heavy movement of vehicles and poor visibility caused by dust from the expansion work have made the stretch highly accident-prone.

Tension Near Post-Mortem House

Tension escalated near the Kujang post-mortem house when protesting students attempted to bring the lecturer’s body onto the road to intensify their protest. Police intervened and informed the protesters that the body would be released only for the last rites.

This led to a brief face-off between the police and the students over taking custody of the body. Later, police faced resistance while escorting the body to the village cremation ground under security cover.

Accident Details and Local Anger

According to reports, the lecturer was riding a scooty towards Paradeep when a truck coming from the opposite direction hit him near Zero Point on National Highway No. 53. He died on the spot.

Locals expressed anger over the incident, alleging that accidents frequently occur in the area due to ongoing highway expansion work, heavy vehicle movement and dust-related visibility issues.

The deceased lecturer was a resident of Gopiakuda village under Kujang. Police said the situation is under control and further action will be taken as per due procedure.