Bhubaneswar: The last rites of seven members of a Bhubaneswar family, who died after being swept away by a rain-swollen drain in Madhya Pradesh, were performed at Swargadwar in Puri early Monday, family members said.
The mortal remains of the seven persons from MP’s Gadhakana reached Bhubaneswar around 1.30 am.
Four senior officials from Agar-Malwa district in Madhya Pradesh, accompanied by a police team, brought the bodies.
State Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan, Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh and local MLAs Ananta Narayan Jena, Susant Kumar Rout and Babu Singh paid their last respects to the deceased.
Later, the bodies were taken to Swargadwar in Puri where last rites were performed, a family member of the deceased said.
“It is a very sad incident in which seven valuable lives were lost. I pray before Lord Jagannath to give all strength to the family to face this difficult situation,” Harichandan said.
“No one can recoup the loss of Banamali Behera’s family. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased,” he said.
Police Commissioner Singh said the administration and society stood with the bereaved family.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the chief minister expressed condolences to the family,” he said.
“We have handed over the FIR copy, death certificates and other documents to the family. The post-mortem report will also be mailed directly to the local tahsildar here so that the family of the deceased persons will not face any issue,” said a Madhya Pradesh government official who accompanied the bodies to Bhubaneswar.
The seven members of the family died in Madhya Pradesh after their vehicle was swept away by a rain-swollen drain near Nalkheda in Agar-Malwa district while they were returning from a visit to the Maa Baglamukhi Temple on Saturday morning.
The deceased have been identified as Siba Prasad Behera (43), Gyanendra Kumar Behera (40), Rita Rani Behera (36), Radha Rani Behera (34), Krishna Rajbir (13), Sai Swarna Prava Behera (6) and Sai Swastik Behera (10).
