Bhubaneswar: Rs 2 lakh ex gratia was declared from Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) for the next kin of a tourist, who succumbed to the injuries he had sustained during a mishap at Nandankanan Zoological Park recently. The tourist died at a private hospital here Sunday night.
The deceased, Amiya Darimal, was a resident of Mahura in Khurda district. He along with his friends had visited the zoo January 3 when a lion safari bus of the zoo hit three of them near the safari.
His friends, Gyana Ranjan Mangaraj and Suryaprasad Mangaraj, sustained minor injuries and were discharged after treatment. However, Amiya, who suffered grave head injuries, was admitted to KIMS. He was kept in the intensive care unit of the hospital as his health condition deteriorated.
Inspector-in-charge of Nandankanan police station Rabindranath Meher reached the hospital and registered a case (3/18) in this connection.
Angry relatives of the deceased demanded Rs 2 lakh compensation and opposed the postmortem of the body.
Later, the authorities declared Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia from the CMRF.
Police seized the bus involved in the accident. Cops arrested the driver, Subash Chandra Sahoo and sent him to the court.
PNN