Odisha teacher dies as iron flagpole touches power line before I-Day celebrations: Cop

Inspector-in-charge of Simulia police station, Debraj Jena said prima facie it appeared to be a case of accident

Published on: Aug 15, 2026, 18:56:06 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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A 32-year-old physical education teacher in Odisha’s Royal High School in the Maitapur area of Simulia block in Balasore died after an iron pipe he carried to install a flagpole for Independence Day celebrations, reportedly came in contact with an overhead electricity wire on Saturday, police said.

Behera was declared dead on arrival by doctors at a hospital in Bhadrak. (ANI/Representative photo)

The deceased identified as Priyabrata Behera was carrying the iron pipe with another school staff, Kiran Jena, around 8am, when it came in contact with an overhead low-tension electricity wire, said police.

Inspector-in-charge of Simulia police station, Debraj Jena said prima facie it appeared to be a case of accident. “However, we would investigate the incident. A case of unnatural death has been lodged in this regard,” he added.

Kiran said the accident happened when both lost balance. “The pole then touched an overhead low tension wire, electrocuting Behera,” he said.

Behera was declared dead on arrival by doctors at a hospital in Bhadrak. Three other students also suffered electric shock and were admitted to Simulia Community Health Centre.

In a separate incident in Nabarangpur district, driver Chandan Behera (26), who worked at the District Audit Office, died after allegedly coming into contact with an 11 kv overhead electricity line while carrying an iron pole for the flag-hoisting ceremony. Chandan suffered an electric shock and fell unconscious before being taken to hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

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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