Man sleeping on Bhubaneswar footpath stabbed to death, wife critical

The daily wage labourer and his wife were stabbed in the head and chest. Their one-year-old son was soaked in blood but was unharmed.

Published on: Apr 11, 2022, 19:53:27 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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BHUBANESWAR: A 23-year-old daily wage labourer sleeping on the footpaths of Bhubaneswar died while his wife is fighting for her life after they were stabbed by miscreants on Sunday night outside an ATM near the Postmaster General office, police said.

Police said a watchman found the family lying in a pool of blood outside an ATM near the Postmaster General office in Bhubaneswar on Monday morning. (Representational Image)

Police said a watchman found Babloo Behera (23), who lived on the footpath with his wife Puja and their one-year-old son, lying in a pool of blood outside the India Post ATM on Monday morning at about 6.30am. Their son was, however, unharmed.

“The couple sustained injuries on their head and chest. The child, who was sleeping with the parents, was soaked in blood,” said Kharavel Nagar police station inspector-in-charge Arun Kumar Swain. The woman was shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack after her condition turned critical.

Behera and his wife reportedly had an argument with some persons at about 2am after which the couple was attacked.

Police said they suspect the involvement of some other daily wage labourer in the incident. “The murder seems to be a fallout over quarrel on petty issues. Though killing someone sleeping on footpath in Bhubaneswar is not very common, in Cuttack 3 persons sleeping on footpath were killed in July 2019,” said a police official.

Two mobile phones were seized from the spot. A murder case has been registered against unknown people.

The couple’s son has been handed over to Bhubaneswar Childline and then sent to a shelter home for children in the city.

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

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