News from Sundargarh

In Ratanpur village, Sundargarh district, Manoj Saa was allegedly hacked to death by Bijay and Dulamani Mahanandia following a verbal altercation. The incident occurred on Monday when the brothers chased Manoj with a dagger. They fled after Manoj's death, prompting Sadar police to launch an investigation.

In an unusual incident, a family in Sundargarh performed the funeral rites of a parrot after the bird’s death.

On Tuesday, the Inspector-in-charge of Mahulapada police station sustained injuries after he was shot at by the accused youth with an arrow.

The poster and some banners have been recovered from the railway tracks between Renjeda and Sarnakshi junctions. It is not for the first time that the Maoist posters have been recovered from the area.

It has been alleged that a youth from Gopinathpur village took the girl with him on September 7. He allegedly threw the girl by tying her hands and legs at Basudihi forest which is located three km away from the village.

On Teachers' Day, meet Bhaskar Behera from Nua Sahi village in Bhadrak, who despite being visually impaired, passionately teaches students. Headmaster Kalebar Mohanta treks through a dangerous forest daily to reach his school in Keonjhar. Dominic Toppo, a 74-year-old hockey coach from Rajgangpur, continues to produce talented players without any monetary expectation.

The Vigilance sleuths apprehended three Odisha government officials on bribery charges. Jayashree Pattnaik, CDPO of Kutra in Sundargarh, was caught accepting Rs 2,000 as the first installment of a demanded Rs 5,000 bribe from an Anganwadi worker. Aditya Prasad Senapati and Titu Sethi from Podamari Revenue Circle in Ganjam were also apprehended for demanding and accepting Rs 5,000 for land conversion. Raids were conducted at their residences and offices.

In a tragic incident, an elephant herd was seen guarding a calf's body after it was hit by a train in Barsuan range at Koida, Sundargarh. The herd of six elephants and a calf were crossing the railway track when the mishap occurred. Separately, a female jumbo died upon contact with a high-tension wire in Charadapasi village, Rairakhol division, Sambalpur. Forest officials, including DFO Arabinda Mohanty, are investigating both incidents.

Despite rain, the students sat on roads demanding the district Collector to come to the spot and give in writing regarding action against the headmaster. It is alleged that despite repeated complaints, the grievances of the students were ignored and overlooked.

The SRC office has asked the Collectors of eight districts- Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Bolangir, Boudh and Nuapada to remain alert in view of the heatwave alert for the next five days.

In Rourkela, two more deaths at the Government Hospital raise the suspected heatstroke death toll to 16 in Sundargarh District. Authorities are transferring critical patients to Hi-Tech Hospital in Bhubaneswar as preventive steps continue.

Superintendent of the RGH, Sudharani Pradhan informed that eight of the persons were received dead while two others died after reaching the hospital. “It has not been established that they have died of heatstroke. That has happened for unknown reasons. We are unable to give their history,” she said.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma targeted the state government while raising several issues including the disappearance of the Ratna Bhandar key and labour migration issues. 

It is suspected the youth was killed somewhere and before the body was thrown into water, a stone was tied around its neck to prevent it from floating. 

While doctors claimed brain haemorrhage caused by high blood pressure to be the possible reason of the UTP's death, family members alleged torture inside jail to be the reason behind his death.