Dhenkanal: A man was accidentally shot dead during a hunting trip near Manpur village under Rasol police station in the Hindol sub-division of Dhenkanal district. The incident occurred late Thursday night. A group of five friends had gone hunting in the nearby forest when one of them, mistaking another for an animal, fired his gun. The victim, identified as Babuli Nayak, also known as Kalia, aged 40, died on the spot. The group consisted of Santosh Nayak, Babuli Nayak, Prashant Nayak of Kadalipal village, Naresh Swain and Dandua Dehuri from Kotama village.
According to the police, Prashant Nayak fired the shot, mistaking Babuli for an animal. Later that night, someone informed Babuli’s wife, Jhili Nayak, about the incident. Villagers also notified the Rasol police station. Upon arrival at the scene, police seized the body and arrested the other four members of the group. Additionally, Paramananda Chhatar of Kotama village, who allegedly supplied the gun, was also arrested. Prashant Nayak has been charged under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (murder), while the others were charged under the Wildlife Protection Act.
All five accused have been sent to court. Despite increasing incidents of illegal hunting and gun trafficking in the area, there appears to be no proactive intervention from the Forest Department, leading to frequent unpleasant situations. Speaking on the matter, Hindol SDPO Satya Kumar Nanda said, “Preliminary investigations suggest the gun was fired with the sole intention of hunting animals.”
