Sarpanch dies, 4 others critical in road mishap while returning from Puri Swargadwar

Aul: In a tragic incident, a sarpanch died and four others were seriously injured in a road accident while returning home after attending funeral of a villager at Puri Swargadwar today.

The deceased person has been identified as Pradipta Das, the Sarpanch of Jayanagar Gram Panchayat in Rajkanika area of Kendrapara district in Odisha.

According to reports, the 50-year-old sarpanch had accompanied a family of Koilipur village under Rajkanika police limits to Swargadwar in Puri for cremation after death of one villager Nirakar Behera’s wife Jayanti Behera. On their way back on a car after attending the funeral, the vehicle rammed into a stationary Eicher truck in front of Axis Bank at Bhuinpur Chhak in Aul on Cuttack-Chandbali road.

While the car was completely smashed in the accident, all the occupants including the sarpanch sutained critical injuries. The locals rescued the victims and admitted all in critical condition to Aul Community Health Centre for treatment. After their conditions worsened, the injured persons were referred to SCB Hospital in Cuttack. On way to the hospital, Das succumbed to injuries, while four others are under treatment at the SCB.