Bhubaneswar/Jharsuguda: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Sunday announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each for the next of kin of five police personnel killed in a road accident in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district.
The compensation will be paid from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF), officials said.
The five personnel were killed in a head-on collision between an SUV and a truck on NH-49 near Odisha Adarsh Vidyalaya under Jharsuguda Sadar police limits. The accident occurred when the police team was returning from a wedding and the truck was moving in the opposite direction, police said.
According to Jharsuguda Additional Superintendent of Police Madhusikta Mishra, five personnel died in the crash, while three others were injured. Two of the injured are undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bargarh, and the condition of another injured policeman is stated to be stable. The truck driver was also injured and is under treatment.
The truck overturned after the collision, and the police vehicle was completely damaged, Mishra said, adding that a case has been registered and an investigation is underway.
The deceased were identified as Kashiram Bhoi, Debadutta Sha and Lingaraj Dharua of the armed police reserve, drill sub-inspector Niranjan Kujur and home guard Bhaktabandhu Mirdha. The injured personnel are Dubaraj Miriga, Akash Nayak and sergeant Rajib Bharsagar.
CM Majhi expressed grief over the incident in a post on X, offering condolences to the bereaved families and praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan also condoled the deaths.
Local MLA Tankadhar Tripathy visited the Jharsuguda hospital, where the bodies have been kept.
