Udala: In a tragic incident, a home guard was crushed to death while four others, including a police officer, sustained grievous injuries after a speeding 108 ambulance crashed into a police van on the state highway under this police limits in Mayurbhanj district, late Monday night. The deceased was identified as Lakshmidhar Mohanta and the critically injured were identified as Udala police station IIC Banamali Barik, van driver Sadananda Singh, ambulance helper Hemanta Nayak and pharmacist Satyajit Panda.
According to sources, Barik along with other police personnel was patrolling and conducting checks, Monday night when a 108 ambulance heading from Baripada towards Kaptipada suddenly came at high speed and hit the police vehicle. The impact was so severe that the police van flipped over three times and the ambulance drag the vehicle upto several metres. Barik and driver Singh who were inside the vehicle sustained critical injuries.
On the other hand, home guard Lakshmidhar Mahanta, who was also inside the van, was crushed under the police vehicle and died on the spot. Informed, police personnel rushed to the spot and admitted the injured to Udala hospital. Singh and Barik were immediately transferred to PRM Medical College and Hospital at Baripada as their condition worsened. Upon hearing the news, SDPO Sarthak Ray also reached Udala police station and monitored the rescue operation. All the home guards assembled near Udala Hospital, Monday morning and staged a protest demanding compensation and jobs to the kin of the deceased.
On being informed, home guard DSP Dolamani Bhoi reached the hospital and pacified the protesting home guards by assuring them compensation of Rs 10 lakh as per the new rules. An assistance of Rs 10,000 was also provided to the deceased’s family from Red Cross. The postmortem of the body was conducted in the presence of magistrate Pratik Panda before the body was handed over to the family members.
