Bhubaneswar, Feb 22 : Five police personnel lost their lives, while three others sustained serious injuries in a tragic road accident in front of the Sadar Police Station in Jharsuguda district early Sunday morning.
The deceased officers have been identified as Kashiram Bhoi (APR), Niranjan Kujur (Drill Sub-Inspector), Debadatta Sa (APR), Lingaraj Dhurua (APR Havildar), and Bhaktabandhu Mirdha (Home Guard).
The policemen who were seriously injured in the mishap are Dubaraj Mirig (APR), Akash Naik (APR), and Rajiv Bharsagar (Sergeant).
The accident occurred when a speeding iron rod-laden trailer truck collided head-on with a Bolero vehicle carrying police personnel. The accident happened in front of the Jharsuguda Sadar Police Station.
“A severe accident occurred today on National Highway 49 in front of the Jharsuguda Sadar Police Station, in which five policemen who were returning to duty after attending a marriage party lost their lives. The families of the five deceased policemen were devastated after losing their breadwinners in the mishap,” a local resident told media persons.
The injured cops are currently undergoing treatment at the Jharsuguda District Headquarters Hospital.
Meanwhile, local residents raised questions about the alleged apathy of the government and NHAI authorities regarding the long-standing demand to expand the highway from two lanes to four lanes.
“Thousands of light and heavy vehicles ply on this road every day to Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai, Nagpur, and other places. There has been a demand for the past two decades to expand the road to four lanes. However, everything remains only on paper, and no steps have been taken on the ground to make it a four-lane highway. Such road mishaps occur regularly on this road. The government should pay immediate attention to the problem,” the local added.
Following the mishap, police launched an investigation, detaining the driver and seizing the truck involved in the incident.
–IANS
