Army jawan allegedly thrashed by miscreants in Odisha’s Ganjam dies after 4 days

Police said the incident took place on December 3 when army jawan Dileswar Patra had gone to Gopalpur to watch a cricket match with his friends

Published on: Dec 7, 2023, 19:56:56 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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An army jawan who was allegedly thrashed by unidentified miscreants four days ago in Odisha’s Ganjam district succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneshwar, police said.

Dileshwar was posted in Durgapur in West Bengal (Representative Photo)

Police said the incident took place on December 3 when army jawan Dileswar Patra of Kalipalli village had gone to Gopalpur to watch a cricket match with his friends.

Jagmohan Meena, Ganjam superintendent of police, said Dileswar had an argument with some people of a nearby village during the match. While he was returning home after the match, a few miscreants intercepted him near Haripur square and attacked him with sharp weapons, said Meena, adding, that Dileswar sustained grievous injuries on his head, face and parts of his body in the attack.

“The exact reason behind the killing is yet to be ascertained. But we suspect it to be a case of previous enmity. We have detained an accused, and there are four people involved in this case,” said SP Meena.

“We called Dileswar several times but he did not respond. We got worried and searched for him. Later, we found him lying on the roadside with serious injuries. Soon we rushed him to the Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati Medical College and (MKCG) Hospital for treatment. As his condition deteriorated, we shifted him to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. However, he died while undergoing treatment,” said Govind Patra, a family member.

Dileshwar was posted in Durgapur in West Bengal.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More