As per reports, the two girls aged under five were playing outside their house. Later, they moved away unnoticed and did not return home for several hours.
Worried, their family members searched for them and finally rescued them from a nearby pond. The two were rushed to Danagadi Community Health Centre (CHC) where doctors declared them dead on arrival.
The deceased were identified as Gurubari Nayak and Sukumari Munda.
Meanwhile, police visited the hospital as part of the investigation, sources said.
No reactions were received from the bereaved families and police.
Pranab has won thrice from this seat by trouncing his opponents. However, if the talks in political circles are anything to go by, there is uncertainty over Pranab being repeated from this seat in the 2024 Assembly Election. In that case, the political equation may take an interesting turn in the upcoming polls with the BJP eagerly and enthusiastically setting its sight on the prestigious seat.
As per reports, Jajpur is a citadel of Pranab and has been occupied by the ruling BJD since 2000. Pranab has secured a hat-trick victory from the seat.
In 2019, Pranab wielding much political clout in the constituency defeated BJP’s Goutam Ray with a margin of more than 40,000 votes to script his third win in succession. It is said that as no other BJD leader can give a tough fight in the seat, the party may be thinking of fielding Pranab for the fourth time in a row.
However, speculation is rife that Pranab may prefer another seat to Jajpur in the upcoming election.
“If Pranab Prakash Das is given the ticket, he will win hands down. Other than Pranab, whoever is fielded by BJD will win convincingly from the seat,” District BJD President Saroj Mohapatra exuded confidence.
BJP has never managed to win the Jajpur seat, but has taken solace in the fact that it overcame Congress to finish second here in the 2019 polls. Party candidate and BJP's district unit president Goutam Roy polled more than 59,000 votes in the last election and the party's vote share was more encouraging than in 2014. Hence, Roy is confident of grabbing a BJP ticket again for the upcoming election.
However, BJP's Yuba Morcha vice-president Sangram Patra is also hopeful of a party ticket. “I am fully confident that with full support from the voters of Jajpur, BJP will win by a margin of more than one lakh votes,” said Roy.
“As a disciplined worker of the party, I will accept any decision to be taken by the party. If the party gives me a ticket, I am fully ready to fight the election,” added Patra.
On the other hand, following a hat-trick victory after 1951, Congress has never come back to power again in Jajpur. It was a humiliating situation for the party in the last election as its candidate Santosh Kumar Nanda managed to get only 4,745 votes. However, Congress has been committed to fighting from the seat with new vigour in the upcoming election. Congress District President Manoj Rout is among the aspirants to bag party ticket.
“People want a change. Under the circumstances, there will be a tough fight in the upcoming election. Eventually, Congress will come up with flying colours,” said Nanda.
“Many candidates have applied to contest election from Jajpur seat with congress ticket. After analyzing all the aspects carefully, the party will choose a suitable candidate at the right time,” said Rout.
Flood issues to dominate poll narrative
The residents of Jajpur have been grappling with flood issues for a long time. While Dasarathapur block is often flooded with Baitarani water, floods in Budha and Kharasrota rivers inundate many areas in Jajpur block. More than one lakh people of the constituency are affected due to floods in these three rivers during the rainy season. People residing in the low-lying areas of Dasarathapur block are affected the most. Though the people of the constituency are demanding for a dam in the river near Bichitrapur as a permanent solution to floods, their demands have so far fallen on deaf ears.
Moreover, around 70 percent of people in Jajpur depend upon agriculture to earn their living. However, the absence of cold storage facilities in the area has irked the farmers as they are forced to resort to distress sales for not being able to store their produces. They have expressed their resentment over the development.
I will meet and request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order a CBI probe into my daughter’s disappearance, said Monalisha.
“Last time when the Prime Minister visited Sambalpur, I tried to meet him regarding my daughter. But I was stopped by the police. This time, I am requesting the Chief Minister and the DGP not to stop me from meeting the PM,” said Monalisha.
“I will request him to direct a CBI probe into my daughter’s missing case,” she added.
Also Read: Pihu missing case: Mother stages dharna seeking CBI inquiry
On February 3, the mother of missing toddler Pihu was allegedly detained by Dhenkanal Police while she was on her way to Sambalpur to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a one-day visit to Odisha. She was detained at the Govindpur outpost for six hours.
It is pertinent to mention that Pihu had gone missing on August 8, 2020. She was last seen playing on the village road. Though Monalisha staged protests several times and even approached the Orissa Human Rights Commission, it was of no use.
Even, the state government and police had assured to trace her daughter. She had written to the President of India through the District Collector seeking permission for euthanasia.
Earlier, she had urged the Odisha government to initiate a CBI investigation into the matter.
As per reports, Lakhpati Bharasagar, a resident of Gopalpur under Ullunda block in Sonepur district, had left home in a huff seven years back. His family members frantically searched for him at many places for years but failed to trace him. The family presumed Lakhpati dead.
The family had lost hope of finding him when his son Shiva received a call from Jamuna village in Jajpur that his father had been traced.
As per reports, Lakhpati had no idea about how many places he wandered in the last seven years after leaving the village. He had strayed into Jamuna village three to four days ago and used to stay under a tree. As he was hungry, he went to a nearby Rajkishore Mohapatra’s house and asked for puffed rice. This started a conversation and Mohapatra’s family sought to know about his identity.
The family ascertained his identity and contacted Lakhpati’s family. The villagers took care of the elderly and tidied him up.
Rajkishore Mohapatra said, "I spotted the man three days ago. When he asked for puffed rice, we got to know his name and address. I searched for the village on Google. I wanted to get the contact number of any person living in Ullunda. I chanced upon the contact number of ‘Ullunda News’, a newspaper. One Ratnakar Bhoi’s number was found. Bhoi helped me a lot and managed to contact Lakhpati’s family. I had sent the photograph of Lakhpati to the family who identified him.”
Lakhpati’s son, daughter-in-law, and other members of his family rushed to Jamuna to reunite with him. His family is now on cloud nine after getting him back.
Shanti Bharasagar, daughter-in-law of Lakhpati, said, “He was mentally unstable and had left home. We searched for him but to no avail. We got information about him from Rajkishore bhai and are taking him back home.”
The alleged administrative apathy has instead encouraged the sand mafias to continue their loot with impunity.
As per reports, the violation of the HC stay is quite noticeable at different ghats of Baitarani, Kharasrota, and Budhha in
Jajpur where sand is being lifted day and night with excavators and powerful compressors. Same is the situation at some ghats of the Kusei River near Deogaon in Keonjhar. The National Green Tribunal, convinced of excess sand mining in Kusei River, had earlier ordered an investigation into it.
However, the local administration has allegedly looked the other way.
The lease of sand mining was earlier under the Revenue Department and raids on behalf of tehsil offices were often carried out. It is alleged that after the sand ghat leasing was brought under the Mines Department, raids are seldom conducted.
Srikant Sahu, a resident of Basudevpur in Jajpur, lamented that truckloads of sand are being lifted with machines from Kamlapur ghat and other ghats in the district while boats are used for sand lifting. “What the administration is doing to enforce the HC stay on machine-aided sand lifting? When we asked the tehsildar, he said he has no power to carry out raids,” Sahu added.
Ranjit Das, a resident of Markandpur in Jaipur observed, “The sand miners are violating the HC order. The administration is encouraging the mafia to loot the minor mineral. The sand mafia are lifting sand with machines and boats day and night.”
As for the rampant sand loot, Subhendu Kumar Samal, ADM (Revenue) of Jajpur said, “The issues related to sand leasing and mining are the lookout of the steel and mines department. The deputy director of minor minerals will look into that. I will tell the deputy director of minor minerals to take up the issue with the district-level committee.”
In Cuttack, most sand ghats have remained closed since January 11 on the grounds that sand mining is not possible without machines. A single truckload of sand was earlier available at Rs 5000 while its price has spiked to Rs 13,000 to 14,000 now. Soaring prices have made things difficult for common people.
Soumyaranjan Patnaik, a house owner said, "A truckload of sand is priced over Rs 10,000 while a tractor-load is around Rs 3,500. Due to shortage of sand, construction work has been affected.”
As per reports, Samal suffered a brain haemorrhage on Wednesday night. Since then he was undergoing treatment at the SCB Medical College and Hospital. A special team of doctors was engaged in his treatment.
However, he passed away on Saturday. Condolences have poured in from various quarters following his demise.
Nilamani Samal was born at Balipadia under the Barchana block of Jajpur district. He was the president of the Odisha State Freedom Fighters’ Association. Samal was honoured by the President of India four times.
The victim has been identified as Dali Mallick who hails from Ghatakula village under Madusudanpur Gram Pachayat under Binjharpur police station. She had tied the nuptial knot with Chandan Mallick, who is a resident of Nagamatha village under Aul block in Kendrapara district, in 2021.
Dali was admitted to the hospital on January 1 and subsequently, she gave birth to a baby boy. However, Chandan and his family members allegedly fled away from the hospital leaving Dali and the newborn boy due to an earlier family feud.
Subsequently, Jajpur police was informed about the development. Both the mother and the newborn baby have been handed over to one-stop centre following the intervention of the police.
“After admitting me to the hospital, my husband and in-laws fled away. Whenever I am dialling my husband, he is not picking my calls. He often said that he had married another lady and didn’t accept me anymore. I want justice,” said Dali.
“We saw the woman crying at the hospital. We came to know that her husband and in-laws had abandoned her at the hospital. We could only give her some food and tell her some soothing words. What else could we do? The administration should extend her helping hand to the helpless woman,” said Sarada Das, an attendant in the hospital.
As per sources, police are trying to reconcile the couple after counseling both of them. Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has stated that action will be taken against Chandan for neglecting his wife and newborn baby and leaving them in a helpless condition at the hospital.
As per reports, women of a Self-help Group (SHG) in the Charinagala area withdrew cash worth Rs 4 lakh from a bank on January 4. On their way back home, when they reached Balichandrapur bazaar, unidentified persons came on a bike and snatched away the bag containing the cash.
The women filed a complaint at the Balichandrapur Police Station in this regard.
Police started an investigation into the case and examined the CCTV footage in the area. One of the accused was identified from the CCTV visuals, leading to his arrest on Tuesday. The accused has been identified as Ahula Santosh, a resident of Ganjam district.
Balichandrapur IIC, Pramodini Sahu said, “Two women had withdrawn Rs 4.69 lakh from a bank in Balichandrapur. Two persons came on a bike and snatched away the cash. During the investigation, we checked the CCTV footage in the area. One accused was identified as Ahula Santosh.”
She added that following an instruction from the SP, a team was formed and raided some areas. Police also recovered Rs 4 lakh from his possession, she added.
As per reports, a 3-year-old boy and his 2-year-old sister were playing near the pond at Kulasahi under Mangalpur block. Accidentally, the children went into the pond and drowned.
Krushna Chandra Jena, a relative of the deceased said that the mother of the two children was busy cooking while the kids were playing outside the house near the pond.
“No one had seen when the two got into the pond. They might have slipped into the water and drowned. Sometime later, they were spotted floating and were rushed to the Mangalpur community health centre. The doctors referred them to the district headquarters hospital in Jajpur town. Post-mortem of the bodies was carried out,” Jena said.
Intake of sugar-rich or high carbohydrate food like rice is a prohibition for them. However, a special kind of rice with lower levels of carbohydrates is available in the market.
Umesh Nayak, a farmer of the Binjharpur area in Jajpur, is producing -- RNR15048 Sona variety of paddy– which is suitable for consumption by diabetes patients.
In common paddy varieties, carbohydrate content is usually 71 percent while the rice cultivated by Umesh reportedly has 50 percent carbohydrates.
Umesh, after quitting a good job in a company, is now focused on producing this variety of rice in his farmlands. He is planning to increase the production of rice, as it has high demand in the market.
Khitish Biswal, Medical officer of Binjharpur CHC, said that carbohydrate metabolism does not happen properly in diabetic patients. "Low carbohydrate-content rice or food is advisable for them. Such type of rice will be helpful for glycemic control in blood sugar," he added.
Agriculture Officer Gyana Prakash Sahu said, "I have visited the farmland of Umesh. He is producing this variety of rice. We will look for what we can do to encourage production of this variety of rice.”
As per reports, the STF officials produced Bukhari in the court in the JMFC court Chandikhole which sent him to judicial custody.
Government counsel Prakash Das said that the court had granted a five-day remand to the STF from December 19 to December 24 for custodial interrogation. The STF produced him in the court at 5 pm on Saturday, he added.
During the five-day custodial interrogation, the STF is said to have gathered vital information about Bukhari and his activities. Sources said the STF came to know that Bukhari had exploited over a hundred girls through an app by doing nude video calls. From each nude video call, he is said to have extracted Rs 5,000 and has collected huge amounts of money.
The STF has reportedly found evidence about the ‘terror suspect’s link with fundamentalists in Kerala while vital information about his activities has been accessed from his call details records. Bukhari had chatted with several people on WhatsApp while some deleted voice messages have been retrieved by the investigating agency, which came to know that Bukhari failed in Class 12 and was able to communicate in six languages.
The investigation also found Bukhari's financial transactions in nine bank accounts. It is also said that the STF may also take Bukhari on remand again if the need arises.
On the other hand, the officials of the Central Intelligence Bureau have quizzed Bukhari, while Kashmiri Police may arrive at Bhubaneswar on Sunday to take the fraudster on remand.
Why the alleged ‘terror suspect’ chose the area for residence and how he could manage to ward off the police glare for so long are questions that have cropped up now.
Given his suspected terror links, the National Investigating Agency (NIA), the Central Intelligence Bureau, the Punjab Police, and Kashmir Police are likely to interrogate Bukhari in phases.
As per reports, about 90 percent of the residents at Milatnagar are outside settlers. People mostly from Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal have settled there while many have taken up rented residence over the years.
In fact, Milatnagar, having hosted a hotchpotch populace from different parts of the country, reportedly provided a safe haven for Bukhari, who managed to hide his real identity there over the years and undertook his nefarious activities, despite a police complaint against him earlier.
Notably, the STF’s preliminary investigation has already revealed that Bukhari married at least six to seven girls by identifying himself as an Army doctor, an official in the PMO, and a close associate of some high-ranking NIA officials.
In view of such factors, the village has now come under the scanner of police and investigating agencies.
Now, people have sought to know the reasons behind Bukhari picking up this particular place as his hideout after marrying a local girl.
They have demanded that the police and the administration should examine the credentials of the residents -like Aadhaar cards and voter identity cards – and find out those who have helped them settle there.
As for the issue, Dibakar Behera, former sarpanch of Neulpur, recalled some incidents linked to Bukhari, saying, "Bukhari married a local girl after establishing a good rapport with her through social media. In 2021-22, when I was the sarpanch, his wife had contacted me for his Aadhaar card.”
“The couple came to my office. I asked him about his identity and means of living. He introduced him as an official working in the PMO. I asked him about the need for an Aadhaar card since he was with the PMO. However, he said that he wanted the Aadhaar to buy a patch of land and open his bank account,” he added.
The sarpanch also alleged that when he wanted Bukhari to produce his documents and proof, the latter did not cooperate with him. “I straightaway refused to help in the matter without any proof. Then, he went away,” Behera said.
He also stated that when Bukhari’s identity was revealed after his arrest, we were scared. This is a peaceful village and hiding such an element is a matter of concern, he observed.
As per reports, after the arrest, Bukhari is currently lodged at Ragadi sub-jail in Jajpur. The National Investigating Agency (NIA), Punjab Police, and Kashmir Police are also likely to join the probe in Odisha to ascertain Bukhari’s possible terrorist links. The STF produced Bukhari at the JMFC court at Chandikhole on Monday and the court allowed the agency to take the accused on a 5-day remand.
On the other hand, Bukhari, who had been staying in the minority-dominated Neulpur area since 2018, had reportedly secured his dwelling there by marrying a local girl engaged as a teacher. As he was married to a local girl, residents did not object to his staying there. Moreover, as the police had no objections about his presence, locals reportedly did not dare to complain.
After his arrest, some locals demanded stern action against Bukhari. “Because of Bukhari, Milatnagar and Neulpur are defamed. In the last 23 years, even the administration had no need to enter the village. It was peaceful. A thorough investigation on him is required. ” observed Seikh Abdul Rahib, a local resident.
According to sources, in 2018, though police had received a complaint from a local journalist named Dildar Chand about the presence of a Kashmiri youth, he was set free after verification of his documents. Here, many questioned why the local police failed to delve into the activities of the suspect despite his presence in the village for the last five years.
Former DGP, Batakrushan Tripathy said, "The state intelligence should have been serious about an outsider settling there. When such things are coming to the open, proper investigation should be done.”
Our correspondent tried to contact the Jajpur SP, but his response was not received.
Meanwhile, following Bukhari's arrest and reports about his suspected terror links, his wife, a resident of Neulpur in Dharmashala of Jajpur district, was sacked from her job as a teacher.
Earlier on Saturday, Bukhari was arrested by a special team of the STF following a raid at the Neulpur area in Jajpur district over his alleged links with some suspicious anti-national elements.
As per reports, Bukhari was in contact with some Pakistani ISI agents and might have passed sensitive data of Indian security installations to the ISI.
Four mobile phones were recovered from Bukhari. Two operational mobiles have been sent for CDR analysis while the other two have been sent to the State Forensic Science Lab (SFSL) for data mining.
Hours later, some people launched a search operation and rescued him. The boy was taken to the district headquarters hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Satyananda Bhadra, a resident of Beruda said, “The boy was inside the river, but all of a sudden his legs slipped into a small gorge. No one was there at the place. His family members and local residents searched the river and found him. He was taken to the hospital but he was dead by then.”
Another incident was reported from Banitia village of Bhadrak. Gobinda Mahakud of the village was cycling to his destination in the morning. He was crossing Barada Bridge when he accidentally lost his balance and fell off the bridge into the river.
Later, local people rescued him and rushed him to the district headquarters hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
The Bhadrak Rural Police has started an investigation into the death.
As per reports, Prahllad Nayak, a resident of Purunapani died in an accident on December 7. Police were clueless about the death. The family members of the deceased brought the body from the hospital and later buried it. The post-mortem of the body was not conducted.
When Gita Nayak, the wife of the deceased, came to know that the post-mortem report of the accident victim was necessary to claim for insurance and other benefits, she intimated the matter to the police. Police exhumed the body from the grave in the presence of Sukinda tehsildar Damayanti Sahu.
As for the incident, tehsildar Damayanti Sahu said that an unnatural death was reported from Purnapani village. “The family members brought the body from Sukinda hospital without following procedures and interred it. There was no information given to the police about the case. Later the woman complained that her husband died after being hit by an unidentified vehicle,” she said.
“Based on her complaint, the body was dug up from the grave and taken for post-mortem,” she added.
As per reports, an elephant, after separation from its herd, strayed into Dasrathpur some days ago. The animal was first spotted causing havoc in paddy and vegetable fields in Kuanrpur. As it went on a damaging spree, people panicked and fumed over large-scale damages to crops. They sought help from the Forest Department.
Speaking to the media, Cuttack DFO, Ajit Tripathy said, “We guess the elephant might have strayed from Similipal-Hadagad or Kuldiha sanctuary corridor area through Bhadrak. Being a young elephant (aged 15 or 16), it is unable to return to its herd. We are trying to know from where it came. As it is too young, it is not in a position to return. We will translocate it back to the area.”
The deceased has been identified as Rudra Narayan Sethy who was a student of Sanaorali Nodal UP School.
As per reports, the lady teacher asked Rudra some questions. When Sethy failed to answer those questions, she told him to kneel down. Then she also asked him to do sit-ups.
However, after doing three to four sit-ups, Rudra collapsed. Though he was immediately rushed to the nearby hospital following the incident, he was declared dead by the doctors.
“Madam asked Rudra some questions and when he failed to answer, he was asked to kneel down for a long time. Then he was asked to do sit-ups. After doing sit-ups three-four times, Rudra collapsed. Subsequently, his family members were informed about the development over telephone and he was sent to the hospital,” said Rudra’s classmate.
“I was working in the office when the incident happened. I immediately called Rudra’s father and sent him to the hospital. We got the tragic news of his death in the evening,” said Pramila Panda, headmistress of the school.
Upon being informed about the incident, Rasulpur Additional Block Education Officer (ABEO) Prabhanjana Pati reached the school and started an inquiry into the incident.
“An inquiry into the incident has been initiated. Proper action will be taken after the completion of the inquiry,” said Pati.
As per the allegation by beneficiaries, they have been issued tokens since last September but the dealer is not providing them rice under the PDS scheme on a regular basis. Despite repeated complaints to the administrative officials, no step has been taken in this regard, they alleged.
“The dealer has not been providing us PDS rice for the last two months. Though we have been provided tokens, the dealer is dillydallying and now we are deprived of our quota of rice. We are facing a lot of problems due to the delay,” said Prabhasini Behera, one of the beneficiaries.
“We are facing a lot of trouble in getting our quota of rice from the dealer. He (the dealer) is killing our time and making many excuses to provide us rice on a regular basis. We have complained about the irregularities to the district administration many times. However, no step has been taken in this regard yet,” rued Prashanta Pandava, another beneficiary.
Meanwhile, Jajpur Sub-Collector Gopinath Kuanr said that they are aware of the allegations and appropriate action in this regard will be taken at the earliest.
“An investigation into the alleged irregularities is currently going on. Following the completion of the investigation, proper action will be taken,” said Kuanr.
The student’s answer on his sheet was a sign of protest over the alleged lack of teachers in the school. The bizarre incident has been reported from Prahaladchandra Brahmachari High School in Khairabad panchayat of Jajpur block.
Even as Class 10 students are going to write their Board Exams in the next three months, they have not been taught a single chapter of these subjects. The students have allegedly been deprived of Sanskrit, Geography, and History lessons due to lack of teachers.
As a mark of protest, the student expressed his outrage in his answer sheet during the exam.
According to sources, the school had conducted Sanskrit exams for all the students. Slamming the school authorities for the negligence and lack of teachers, the Class 9 student wrote, “We have not been taught Sanskrit. We have written whatever we know. So, don’t expect too much from us.”
“We don’t have enough teachers, so kindly don’t expect too much from us,” the student's answer sheet read.
“We have not even opened the book, so how will we write the answers? It is not just about me, but it is about all the students. We don’t have books and teachers. They are playing with our future,” a student said.
“This school has been transformed under the Odisha government’s ambitious 5T project. However, there are no teachers for Class X students in History, Geography, and Sanskrit. Students have not been taught anything, but they are conducting exams now,” alleged a guardian Diptimayee Kar.
“We have approached the District Collector, the DEO, but no steps are being taken in this regard. The Class 10 students are going to appear for their Board exams on February 20. What will the students write in their answer sheets,” she questioned.
When contacted, the school headmistress Sanjukta Dei said, “There was a Sanskrit teacher in the school, but he has now been deployed to another school. So, students have been deprived of Sanskrit. But, today we were conducting the Sanskrit exam.”
“We have brought the matter to the notice of the District Collector and the DEO. All the village committee, sarpanch, and others have also appraised the higher officials for the need of teachers,” she added.
According to sources, Anganwadi supervisor Subasini Das and child development project officer (CDPO) Bhagabati Guru, both working at the integrated child development services (ICDS) office, Badachana, had a heated argument over some issues on Friday. The scene turned ugly when the CDPO allegedly lost her cool and thrashed the Anganwadi supervisor.
Das then lodged a written complaint against CDPO Guru at the Badachana Police Station. On the basis of the complaint, the police have reportedly registered a case and served a notice to Guru. Meanwhile, the CDPO too lodged a counter-complaint at the police station against Das.
“Today, the CDPO asked me to go out of the office and never show my face again. When I asked her about my fault, she kicked me and beat me up,” said Anganwadi supervisor, Subasini Das.
Countering the allegation, CDPO Bhagabati Guru said, “When an employee went to her to serve an explanation copy, she refused to accept it. Later, she came to the middle of the office, pulled my hair, and slapped me.”
When contacted, Badachana Police Station IIC, Sarat Chandra Patra said, “On the basis of the written complaint lodged by Anganwadi supervisor Subasini Das, a case has been registered and a notice has been served to the CDPO. The CDPO has also lodged a written complaint. After our probe into her allegation, we will decide whether we should register a case or not.”
According to sources, Parida had sown paddy in two acres of his land. He was expecting a good harvest so that he could repay all his debts. However, his hopes were dashed due to heavy crop loss.
Under stress, he reportedly consumed poison following which he was rushed to Dharmashala Community Health Centre (CHC). After preliminary treatment, he was referred to Cuttack-based SCB Medical College and Hospital for better treatment.
However, Parida breathed his last while undergoing treatment at SCB. The farmer’s death sparked outrage in the village as family members accused a stone mafia of illegally running a stone quarry and blasting near the paddy fields that destroyed the standing paddy crops.
“He had borrowed money for paddy cultivation and was under stress due to crop loss. He had been suffering crop loss for the last few years. A stone mafia has been running a quarry near the paddy fields because of which cultivation has been affected,” alleged Parida’s daughter Jhunulata Parida.
Similarly, Parida’s brother Paramanand alleged, “The water required for paddy fields is drying due to the stone quarry. We have been facing losses due to the stone quarry for the last 4-5 years. We have complained in this connection, but no one pays heed to our issues.”
The deceased has been identified as Priyaranjan Dhal, a resident Olei village. He was a driver by profession.
Some villagers, who were on their way to the canal, spotted Priyaranjan's body which with a rope to a tree. They later informed the police about the incident.
On getting information, Binjharpur police rushed to the spot and started an investigation into the incident with the help of a forensic team.
Whether Priyaranjan was murdered or committed suicide is not clear.
However, the family members of the deceased alleged that Priyaranjan had been murdered and his body dumped into the canal by some miscreants.
“Priyaranjan has been murdered. There should be a proper investigation into the incident and stern action should be taken against the culprits,” said Debendra Dhal, a relative of the deceased.
Family members of the deceased from Alibag alleged that the girl lost her life after an injection was administered to her at the hospital.
“I had brought my five-year-old daughter to the hospital for treatment of fever. However, she died after an injection was administered to her. The hospital authorities are responsible for my daughter’s death,” alleged deceased’s father Biranchi Gedi.
Following the allegation, some local people entered the hospital premises and vandalized it. They also set some important documents of the hospital on fire.
Upon being informed, Bari police, Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) and local Tehsildar rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the people by initiating discussions with them. Following the development, things returned to normalcy.
Jajpur CDMO Shibasish Moharana has assured that an investigation into the incident will be launched to find out the exact reason behind the death of the child.
“An investigation into the administration of the injection will be launched soon. If anybody will be found guilty, stern action will be taken against him/her,” said Moharana.
Local people have expressed their resentment over the tardy progress in the construction work. Though the foundation stone of the bridge was laid in 2016, it is yet to be completed even after seven years due to the carelessness and lackadaisical attitude of the contractor and the district administration.
“It is quite unfortunate that the construction of the bridge has not been completed even nearly after eight years. Villagers of 10 gram panchayats face lots of problems due to the absence of a bridge. Students, elderly people, and patients have to cross the overflowing river dangerously during the rainy season to go to schools, colleges, markets, hospitals, and for other important works,” said Gopal Pati, a local resident.
“We often miss our classes in college as we are dependent on boats to cross the river. Had the bridge been completed, we would not have missed our classes,” said Mitali Madhusmita Sahu, a student.
The construction of the bridge started with an estimate of Rs 11 crore. There was a deadline to complete the construction work within three years. However, only six spans of the bridge have been completed so far.
“We urge the district administration to step up and order the contractor to finish the construction of the bridge at the earliest,” said Hemant Kumar Sahu, another local resident.
Meanwhile, the Executive Engineer of Jajpur Rural Development Department, Gyanaranjan Nayak assured that the bridge work will be completed by December this year.
“The delay in the construction work was mainly due to the land acquisition issues. There were also little bit technical problems. We have consulted the bridge experts and things have been sorted out. Hopefully, the bridge work will be completed by December this year,” said Nayak.
Intensifying its protest, the Congress workers on Thursday staged a protest ahead of Pandian’s visit to Jajpur. Wearing black T-shirts and showing black flags, the party workers staged a protest against the secretary’s visit to Dharmashala.
They staged a sit-in near the Gopabandhu statue and shouted slogans against the Odisha government and VK Pandian.
Meanwhile, Pandian is scheduled to take part in a public hearing at the Mahostav Grouund in Jaraka today. He will also take part in other programmes in different parts of the district.
“Though there are senior MLAs and MPs, the Chief Minister doesn’t have belief on anybody. He is sending a secretary level person for the public hearing,” said a protestor.
“Jaraka is not far away from Bhubaneswar and one could reach here by road. Then why this chopper ride? The public hearing is only a drama to deceive people and it will not be accepted anymore,” he added.
On the other hand, members of the Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan also staged protest against Pandian’s visit to the district on Thursday.
The protestors also had a scuffle with police while the former were on their way to the meeting venue. Later, police reportedly detained some of the members of the farmers’ wing.
As per reports, a speeding truck first hit a dumper from behind which hit a broken-down camper near Mulapal.
The deceased have been identified as Umesh Jena from Balichandrapur and Biswaranjan Guin, a mechanic from Gopalpur under Kuakhia police limits.
Two other injured persons were taken to the nearest hospital for treatment.
The driver of the truck is detained by the police for questioning.
The deceased has been Jyotsna Jena.
According to sources, the incident took place when Jena had gone to Birupa river to wash clothes.
While she was busy washing clothes, a crocodile suddenly attacked and dragged her into the water leading to her death on the spot. The video of the entire incident has been caught on camera.
After a frantic search, mutilated body of the woman was found on the banks of the river, sources informed.
It is worthwhile to mention here that, Kendrapara reported four deaths due to crocodile attacks.
Recently on July 28, an elderly man, identified as Amulya Das, from Pattamundai was killed in crocodile attack in Brahmani River.
On June 29, one elderly man, identified as Gangadhara Tarai of Ghagaradiha village, died in a crocodile attack.
One Ashutosh Acharya, a Class 5 student of Nimpur village under Pattamundai block in Kendrapara district, was allegedly dragged and killed by a crocodile on June 14.
Similarly, on June 21, a woman, identified as Sita Das from Hatiagadi village under Rajnagar block in the district fell victim to a similar attack in the district.
The case of Ghantapada village road under Talcher block in Angul district is also no different. Due to the alleged shoddy repair work by the contractor, the road has turned into a nightmare for the commuters in the village.
In the name of road expansion, both the sides of the roads were dug. However, poor quality work was undertaken by MCL Jagannath and the road was left in a dangerous condition, alleged locals.
There are many craters and potholes on the road. Many accidents are frequently happening on the road and the situation worsens during rainy season.
“Commuters are suffering due to the shoddy repair work. The repair work should not have been left midway like this. We have been requested the administration about the ordeal of the commuters several times, but nothing has changed,” said Karunakar Sahu, Ghantapada Samiti member.
Meanwhile, MCL Jagannath authorities have assured a proper inquiry into the allegations.
“After receiving complaints from the villagers, I have sent our civil engineer and staff officer to the ground immediately to submit a report after an inquiry. If it is MCL related road, we will take over immediately and make necessary arrangements to bring out proper solution,” said MCL General Manager, Ashok Dhal.
In another similar case, the main road connecting ward number one to six under Vyasanagar Municipality in Jajpur district is wallowing under neglect. It has turned into a death trap for the commuters.
Thousands of people depend on the road on a daily basis. However, big potholes have developed on the road due to lack of repair work for long. Local residents have expressed dissatisfaction over the neglect by the administration.
“People of Vyasanagar mainly depend on the road to travel to their respective destinations. Rs 1, 55, 00,000 was sanctioned for the repair work of the road. However, the tender has not been floated by the administration so far. Several accidents are occurring on the road almost on a daily basis. School-going children and patients are mainly suffering while commuting on the road. We request the administration to repair the road immediately,” said Sanjeeb Kumar Jena, a local resident.
Meanwhile, Jajpur Collector Chakravarti Singh Rathore assured that the repair work of the road would be undertaken immediately after the rainy season.
“We are aware of the problem. The repair works will be undertaken immediately after the rainy season,” said Rathore.
As per reports, Surendra Mallick’s five-year-old son was suffering from diarrhea. Subsequently, Surendra took the child to a nearby medicine store at Mandarakhanda village. The medicine shop owner administered an injection after examining the child.
However, the condition of the child deteriorated. Later, he was admitted to Jajpur District Headquarters Hospital immediately. But, he was declared brought dead by the doctors.
Following the incident, the crestfallen family members of the deceased filed a complaint against the medicine store owner at Dasarathpur police station alleging that he is responsible for the death of their child by administering the wrong injection.
“We took our son to the medicine store as he was suffering from diarrhea. However, his condition deteriorated after he was administered with the wrong injection by the medicine store owner. We admitted him to the hospital immediately, but he passed away,” said the deceased’s mother Kunilata Mallick.
Sources said, local residents first spotted that a span of the bridge has sunk. Fortunately, no vehicle was plying at that time. So no injury was reported. Vehicular movement was immediately suspended on the road.
While the actual reason why the bridge has caved in is yet to be ascertained, local people ascribed it to the low-quality construction work.
“We were sitting nearby when a vehicle passed and a loud sound was heard. We rushed to the spot and saw that a portion of the bridge has caved in. It is due to the use of low-quality construction materials. The bridge was constructed in 2007-08,” said Sridhar Das, a local resident.
On being informed, Kuakhia police reached the spot and streamlined the traffic. They diverted the hundreds of stranded vehicles to decongest the traffic on the stretch. The affected stretch has now been barricaded to avoid mishap.
When asked, Project Director, NHAI, JP Verma said, “It’s a structural failure. An expert team is coming to carry out an investigation. Then only anything can be said about the reason. It’s an old bridge constructed in 2008. Its required maintenance had been carried out.”
“Another expert team has also been called in to take measures so that traffic on the road can be restored,” Verma added.
Informing about the steps taken to normalize traffic on the stretch, RTO, Jajpur, Nilakantha Pradhan said, “People are facing traffic problems. We are now minimizing the load on the other side of the bridge. If the other side of the bridge develops any damage, then the state’s movement will be cut off. So, at the one end of the bridge, Chandikhole RTO is looking into it and we are taking care of this side of the bridge.”
Meet green crusader Gadadhara Behera who is a teacher at Baidyarajpur Nodal School in the district. Though teaching is his profession, planting trees is his passion. Being a divyanga has not deterred his spirit.
Though he is not able to walk without the help of a walker, he goes the extra mile to plant thousands of trees in his and nearby schools.
Gadadhara has virtually transformed his school into a botanical garden with hundreds of flowers, fruits, and medicinal plants. Such is his passion, dedication and determination in plantation activities that he is popular as ‘Tree Teacher’ in the area.
“Planting trees is the only solution to cope up with the climate change and save the mother earth from various disasters. Trees will make human beings healthy, peaceful and prosperous,” said Gadadhara.
He has also inspired hundreds of students to take plantation as a mission of their lives. Apart from teaching regular courses, Gadadhara also teaches students about the various utilities of trees. He takes a lot of pleasure in training students in various tree grafting tricks to create new saplings.
“We have been really influenced by the broad ideas of Gadadhara sir. He has done a lot of hard work to transform our school into a paradise by planting hundreds of ornamental trees. All the students are inspired by him to take plantation as a mission on our lives,” said a student.
Apart from plantation, Gadadhara also prepares environment-friendly organic manure to supply nutrients to the trees. He has also started pisciculture in the school to inspire students to take up agricultural activities. He makes shelters for birds and gives them food and water on the school premises.
“Gadadhar sir is our pride. With the help of students and teachers, he has created a beautiful environment in the school and transformed it into an ideal educational institution,” said Bandana Das, Headmistress of Baidyarajpur Nodal School.
The accused, Rupesh Kumar hails from Bihar and police got some links regarding the involvement of inter-state criminals.
“We had constituted multiple teams and we have learnt that eight accused were involved. We have managed to nab one accused from Vaishali area in Bihar. The accused Rupesh was involved and helped others to escape,” said Jajpur SP, Vinit Agarwal.
According to Agarwal, police have recovered three motorcycles used in the crime. “Primarily it has been ascertained that the robbers are from Bihar and no local involvement has come to the fore. Further investigation in this connection is underway,” Agarwal added.
It is pertinent to mention here that armed robbers raided a jewellery showroom in a busy market area of Vyasanagar town in the Jajpur district of Odisha last month. The miscreants looted around 10 to 11 kgs of gold ornaments from the jewellery showroom.
On Wednesday afternoon, Nor’wester rain lashed several parts of the state including the Jajpur-Keonjhar Road station area. Some labourers who were engaged by a contractor for railway work near the Jajpur-Keonjhar Road station rushed to an engine-less monsoon reserve rake parked at the sick line near the station to take shelter under it.
As they were under the rake, it started to roll allegedly under the impact of the wind force caused by the Nor’wester rain. While four labourers were killed on the spot, two others succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment. Two others are undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
While speaking to journalists, Khordha DRM Rinkesh Roy had on Wednesday said, “There are hand-brakes in the wagons to keep them stationary on the tracks. It seems someone might have unlocked them, leading to the mishap.”
Terming the incident as unfortunate, he had said people should take utmost precautions while around railway tracks.
To find out the exact reason as to why the wagons started rolling on their own and killed six labourers, the team headed by Khordha DRM has started its investigation. The team members on Thursday morning visited the accident site and inspected the wagons involved in the mishap.
The deceased have been identified as excavator operator, Shantanu Khilar from Telkoi in Keonjhar and helper, Apu Rout from Jenapur in Jajpur.
As per reports, the mishap occurred when excavation was going on in the dead of the night, raising suspicion over the legality of the mine among the locals.
Following the mishap, the locals rushed both Khilar and Rout to the nearest Dharmashala hospital where the doctors declared Khilar dead.
Critically injured Rout was shifted to SCB hospital in Cuttack for treatment where the doctors pronounced him dead too.
Jenapur police have launched a probe in this connection after registering case.
No officials from the district administration were available to comment on this case.
The deceased has been identified as Nibedita Sahoo, daughter of one Nanda Kishore Sahoo of Dhusuri area in Bhadrak district.
According to sources, the college authorities found Nibedia hanging inside her hostel room at around 1 pm and immediately rushed her to Jajpur Road community health centre.
However, she was declared brought dead by the doctors at the hospital, sources informed.
Meanwhile, family members of the deceased suspected foul play behind her death.
“We have lodged an FIR and are hopeful of getting justice. There must be some foul play which has forced her to take the extreme step,” alleged Manoj Kumar Das, a relative of the deceased.
“We all were busy taking classes. When we were informed about the incident, we immediately called her parents and the police. Later, we took her to hospital where she was declared dead,” said Jagabandhu Mallick, nursing in-charge.
On being informed about the incident, the Jajpur Road police reached the spot and started an investigation into the matter.
“An FIR has been registered in connection with the case and an investigation is on. The exact reason behind the death can be ascertained after getting the post-mortem report,” said Sanjay Patnaik, Sub Divisional Police Office (SDPO), Jajpur Road.
The deceased CRPF personnel has been identified as Suryakant Kuanr from Sompur village under Ersama Police limits in Jagatsinghpur district.
Earlier, Suryakant’s bike was recovered near the hill following which a search operation was undertaken in the area.
Police have launched an investigation to ascertain the circumstances in which the incident took place. The body has been sent for postmortem. A scientific team has also been pressed into action.
“After the recovery of the bike, we conducted a search operation in the area yesterday. As many as three teams carried out the search operation this morning again. The body was found hanging from a tree. A scientific team has been pressed into action. The body has been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the incident is underway,” said Jajpur SDPO Sanjay Patnaik.
Meanwhile, Suryakant’s family members have demanded that the exact reason behind the CRPF jawan’s disappearance and death should be revealed with proper investigation.
“Suryakant was a CRPF jawan and he was mentally very strong. We just can’t believe that he will commit suicide. There could be some reason behind his disappearance and death and it should be investigated properly,” said the deceased’s relative Bikash Mohanty.
Notably, Suryakant came home recently on leave for the last rites of his grandmother and has been staying with his wife in another village. He went missing on April 17. His motorcycle was recovered near Dhanamandal hills under Jajpur’s Badachana Police limits on Wednesday.
In Patukasasana village under Balasore’s Remuna block, two cousin brothers drowned while taking bath in nearby Budhabalanga River.
Both the deceased were reportedly minors aged eight and 17 years respectively.
While one of the deceased died on the spot, the other succumbed while undergoing treatment at Baisinga Hospital.
Pratap Panda, relative of the deceased said, “The duo had gone to the river to take bath in the morning. I received a call at around 11 AM that they have drowned in the river and are being taken to Baisinga hospital. I rushed to the hospital where I found both of them dead."
In another tragic incident, a 12-year-old boy met his watery grave while playing beside a pond at Madhaba Pradhan Sahi under Cuttack’s Niali police limits.
As per reports, the deceased was playing near the pond when he slipped and fell into the pond. People bathing near the spot rescued the boy and rushed him to Charichhak hospital for treatment where the doctors pronounced him dead.
In another incident, a youth from Hirapur village in Jajpur drowned in the Baitarani river while taking a bath after finishing the last rites of a relative.
The deceased has been identified as Nishikant Mallik.
The firefighters rescued him and sent him to the Jajpur hospital where the doctors pronounced him dead.
For the last couple of days, people visiting the MCH center are seen coming with new fans and bamboo-made handcrafted fans.
When investigated, it was known that most of the fans on all five floors of the facility have been removed for repair.
The firm that has been awarded the contract of repair removed the fans in February. Now it is mid-April and the temperature is hovering around 40 degrees Celsius. But the firm is yet to install the fans, leaving the patients and their relatives to fend for themselves. The babies and children are said to be the worst affected ones.
The situation has come to such a pass that after coming to know about the situation at the facility some people are seen opting for private clinics. And it is also seen that people are shifting their patients from the MCH center to other private clinics.
If this is the situation at the DHH, it is well understood what could be the situation at the hospitals in remote areas, some visitors rued.
When contacted, the chief district medical officer (CDMO) said the contractual firm has been directed to make all the defunct fans functional in a week.
As per locals, the step-well is popularly known as ‘Dedhasura-Bhaibohu Kua’ and it is in existence in the area for the past thousands of years.
As per reports, the ancient step-well with deep blue water is situated inside a forest near the village.
“One can fetch water from the well directly by entering into it through 33 steps. It is one of the specialties of the ancient well. A brass door was fixed into the well in the past which is not present now,” said Sandeep Kanungo, a local resident.
As per local residents, this ancient step-well has a rich history behind it. Only a detailed research can unravel more secrete facts about it.
One can fetch water from this step-well below 80 feet by walking down the steps. Two persons can fetch water from the well without facing each other. Hence the ancient well is known as ‘Dedhasura-Bhaibohu Kua’.
“During those days it was a great virtue to dig a well. It was equivalent to building a temple. History is silent about the person who has dug the well. One can fetch water from the well without using rope,” said Lalatendu Das a villager.
As per INTACH officials, the ancient step-well is a unique example of Kalinga architectural style.
“We have documented around 40 step-wells in Odisha. However, we have never seen this kind of step-well in the State. It’s sheer size, depth, construction style and the materials used are unique. The condition of the ancient step-well is still very good,” said INTACH project co-ordinator Anil Dhir.
The huge step-well, having a length of 120 feet and a breadth of 35 feet, has been constructed with laterite stones. As per the information by INTAC, though many step-wells are found in several parts of the State, this ancient one is the biggest among all.
“Though water is found in the step-well below 80 feet, local people still use the well. If the step-well will be maintained properly, several people across the State will visit the area to have a glimpse of it and as a result, the locals will be benefitted,” said a villager.
(Reported by Gulam)
The deceased has been identified as Rojalin Patra, a third-year electrical engineering student. As per sources, Rojalin was a brilliant student and selected for four campus placements.
Tension erupted on the college premises after the family members, relatives of the deceased along with the villagers created a ruckus holding the college authorities responsible for her death. They also accused some college students of abetting her to take the extreme step.
“A male student had texted my daughter saying that she got selected for four campus placements. But he threatened not to allow her to sit in the campus recruitments and thrash her with slippers. She was so frightened that she told us that she would no longer stay in the college. Another student also attempted to beat her yesterday,” alleged the deceased’s mother.
“She didn’t disclose this before the college authorities fearing action from the students involved,” she added.
Echoing the same, the deceased’s uncle alleged, “The students were intimidating her saying they wouldn’t let her be number one in the college. The college authorities are fully responsible for my niece’s death because they hadn’t intimated the things going on in the college to the family members.”
On being informed, police reached Biraja Hostel and found Rojalin’s body hanging from the fan. They brought down the body and sent it for post-mortem.
Later, IICs from Korei and Jajpur Road police stations also reached the college to thwart any kind of law and order situation.
A detailed probe is underway.
Reactions from the college authorities were yet to be obtained.
(Reported by Janmenjay Dash, OTV)
As per reports, the deceased girl student had informed her family members that she had not performed well in the last two subjects of the ongoing matriculation examination. The girl student reportedly ended her life by hanging herself with a dupatta inside her house last night. The matter came to light on Monday morning.
“My daughter had informed that she had not done well in two subjects. We only asked her that she was attending two tuitions and how it happened,” said the father of the deceased student.
On getting information, Jajpur Police reached the spot and sent the body for post-mortem. Further investigation in connection with the incident is underway.
(Reported by Sanjeeb Nayak)
The man has been identified as Khetrabasi Lenka who is an industrialist. Khetrabasi reportedly spent Rs 7 crore to build the beautiful temple of the Goddess to honour the wish of her wife Baijayanti.
The couple gifted the temple, which has been built in South Indian architectural style, to Chikana villagers following its completion.
As per reports, the couple has been living in Hyderabad. Baijayanti was an ardent devotee of Goddess Maa Santoshi. She had a wish to construct a temple of Goddess Santoshi in the village, and Khetrabasi had promised to fulfill her dream and build a small temple in the village.
The temple work, which was started in 2008, completed recently. The beautiful temple with intricate carving and designing has a sprawling entrance of 86 feet.
Apart from Goddess Santoshi, Lord Shiva, Ganesha, Hanuman and Nabagrahas will also be worshipped in the temple.
“I had a wish to build the temple in a village as there are many temples in towns. I am grateful to my husband that he fulfilled my dream. We wanted to build a small temple. However, with the blessings of the Goddess, such a beautiful temple was built in our village. At last, my dream has been fulfilled,” said an elated Baijayanti.
The concerned contractor Prasanjit Nayak’s brother and some of his staff have sustained multiple injuries in the attack by a mob of 20 persons allegedly led by the Jakhapura Sarpanch. As per reports, Nayak is carrying out some contractual works at a factory.
The Jakhapura Sarpanch under Jajpur District had allegedly demanded the extortion of Rs 50 lakh from the contractor. Following the incident, Nayak had lodged a complaint against the Sarpanch some three days back. Later, the Sarpanch along with his supporters allegedly stormed into the contractor’s camp and tried to kill him by hurling a petrol bomb. The entire incident has been captured in the CCTV.
“Two days back, the Sarpanch had demanded Rs 50 lakh and threatened to kill me. He (sarpanch) has been mentally harassing me and there is also a threat to my life,” said the victim contractor.
The contractor’s family and other local residents had also staged a demonstration in front of the police station demanding action against those involved in the attack.
Kalinganagar Additional SP, S.O. Toppo said, “We have registered a case and seven persons have already arrested. An investigation is currently on and we will take appropriate action against all those whose involvement will be ascertained.”
(Reported by Janmajay Dash)
Ajay Jena, the inspector-in-charge of Jajpur police station, reportedly threatened OTV’s district correspondent Sanjeev Nayak when the latter was covering farmers’ agitation in front of the district collector's office.
As per sources, Nayak was covering the protest of farmers in front of Jajpur collector’s office when the IIC arrived at the spot. He reportedly tried to interrupt the live coverage of the news and snatch the camera.
After the live coverage was over, the OTV journalist tried to get the IIC’s reaction as to why he tried to prevent him from the news coverage. However, instead of giving his reply, the IIC allegedly misbehaved with him.
When the OTV journalist brought the issue to the attention of the Superintendent of Police (SP) Vinit Agrawal, the IIC lost his cool and resorted to highhandedness.
In full public view, the IIC abused the journalist and threatened to beat him up.
Meanwhile, SP Vinit Agrawal said that the matter is being inquired into.
Madhabananda Shanti, a protesting farmer of Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan, confirmed that the police official shoved and misbehaved with the OTV journalist.
“It is a very shameful incident. Media plays a crucial role in democracy as it highlights the plight of the farmers. However, the police here have become the goons of the Odisha government. The police have been suppressing the farmers, now doing the same with the media,” he said.
“A situation similar to murder the democracy was created here by the police. The OTV journalist was covering the agitation when the IIC pushed aside the boom and shoved him. We strongly condemn the incident. We demand the SP to take immediate action against the IIC,” said another farmer.
Reacting to the incident, Odisha Union of Journalists (OUJ) president Prasanna Mohanty said, "When an agitation was going on, it is the responsibility of journalist to cover the news. The chief of the channel will decide the manner of the broadcast. The police have no authority to say anything and make direction in this regard. The way the journalist was misbehaved with and the words used against him is objectionable.”
“I would condemn the incident with strongest words. As a member of the press council, I will report the incident. We never seen such treatment of journalists,” he added.
(Reported by Sanjeev Nayak, OTV)
If you are thinking his not taking rice is linked to any religious practice, you are wrong. The actual reason why he has been staying away from rice will leave you stunned.
Ramchandra is a daily wager. When there is no work, he sells dried fish to earn a living. His was a happy family comprising his wife, five daughters and two sons.
Like any other day, one day Ramchandra went out for work, asking Sita to keep food ready by the time he returns. Unfortunately, Sita couldn’t prepare food due to some household works. After returning from work when Ramchandra found the food was not ready, he became infuriated. He lost his cool and started hurling abuses at Sita, leading to a quarrel between the two.
That day he decided he wouldn’t take even a grain of rice from Sita. He constructed a hut a few yards away from home and started living there.
Meanwhile, 42 years have elapsed and Ramchandra is still living in his hut alone, and sticking to his pledge. While he is still not taking rice, puffed rice has become his main diet. He takes it in breakfast, lunch and dinner. While his daughters have long been married off, his wife Sita lives with her sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren in their old house.
On several occasions, his friends and relatives tried to persuade Ramchandra to take back his vow and reunite with Sita but failed in their every attempt.
Despite the fact that he is living alone and not receiving any food cooked by his wife, he has been meticulously maintaining the practice of handing over his daily earnings to Sita all these years.
The accused went on a rampage near Tarini square in Kaliapani and attacked the girl’s brother and father with a sharp weapon. The girl’s brother died in the attack while her father is battling for life.The incident spread outrage in the village as angry villagers overpowered him and brutally thrashed him before handing him over to the police.
The accused has been identified as Santanu Samal while the deceased has been identified as Jitendra Mahapatra, son of the injured Santosh Mahapatra of the same village.
According to sources, the accused was in love with Jitendra's sister. However, her family was against it as Samal was already married.
In an act of revenge, Samal attacked the father and son with a sharp-edged weapon. They were rushed to Sukinda Community Health Centre where Jitendra succumbed to the injuries.
Irate over the incident, locals demolished the accused's house and set his truck on fire. Later, they staged a dharna, demanding stringent action against the accused.
On being informed, local police rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the angry villagers. The accused was taken to the police station.
Tension continued to prevail in the village while the filing of this report.
Special programmes were held at the company premises in Sukinda mines area of Jajpur district. Sand artist Santosh Pradhan extended his best wishes through his sand art on the occasion.
Similarly, IMFA also celebrated the occasion in Mangalpur panchayat under Choudwar tehsil in Cuttack district. Gifts were distributed among the inmates of ‘Bharasa Balashram’, located in the panchayat.
Among others, Deputy General Manager, IMFA, Choudwar G Sarada Prasad Rao attended the event.
“Today is the 61st foundation day of our company IMFA. It is also the birthday of our founder chairman Bansidhar Panda. Our employees today came to the balashram voluntarily and spent time with the inmates. This is the main activity of the foundation day,” informed G Sarada Prasad Rao, Deputy General Manager, IMFA, Choudwar.
“Today we would like to extend our gratitude to IMFA. On the occasion of its foundation day, it treated our children with sweets. We hope we will continue to receive their support in the coming days,” said Dipali Mohanty of the balashram.
Excavated sculptures are said to be of the twelfth and thirtieth centuries out of which one is broken and two are in an intact condition.
Out of those two intact sculptures one is of Varaha avatar, the third incarnation of among Lord Vishnu’s Dasavatars, and the other represents his natural form.
In an interview with Odisha TV, the district culture officer Duryodhan Mallick said; “After being informed about the excavation of valuable artefacts near Baitarani river, Jajpur. I went on a field study and upon inspecting the excavated sculptures, I found the sculptures are from 12-13th century period. Out of those three sculptors one is deformed, while other two represent Lord Vishnu and his Varaha avatar.”
Meanwhile, Santosh Nanda, a local, said, “This area used to be the capital of Utkala (presently Odisha) and was ruled by the rulers of Keshari Dynasty. Therefore there are huge chances of excavating precious artefacts’ in this region.”
The district administration has decided to keep the sculpture in the museum. Citing continuous discoveries of artefacts’ the district administration has demanded for more research by archaeology and geology departments in the Baitarani region.