Naveen condoles Odia jawan’s death, announces ex-gratia

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today expressed grief over the death of Ajit Kumar Sahoo, a jawan of the Indian Army from the state, and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh to the next of the kin of the martyr.

The amount will be given from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF).

“Deeply saddened by the martyrdom of Odia Jawan Ajit Kumar Sahoo in an encounter with militants in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. Salute to the supreme sacrifice of the brave soldier; my thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved family,” the CM tweeted.

Sahoo, hailing from Badasuala village in Kamakhyanagar area of Dhenkanal district, had died after sustaining injuries in an IED blast by militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district. He had joined the Indian Army in 2015.

On the fateful day, militants had attacked a truck carrying Indian Army troops with an car-borne improvised explosive device (IED).