Truck drives into wedding procession in Odisha’s Malkangiri, 3 killed: Police

The accident took place on National Highway 326 which passes through Malkangiri district’s Pandripani village in Odisha where the groom lived.

Published on: Nov 24, 2021, 23:14:24 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar: A speeding truck on Wednesday drove into a wedding procession in Odisha’s Malkangiri killing two people including the groom’s father on the spot. A third person died in the district hospital later.

Odisha: Malkangiri superintendent of police Prahallad Meena said the truck driver appeared to have driving under the influence of liquor

Police said the truck driver, who appeared to be under the influence of liquor, was beaten by the survivors and other villagers.

The accident took place on National Highway 326 which passes through Malkangiri district’s Pandripani village where the groom lived.

Malkangiri superintendent of police Prahallad Meena said the dead include Shiba Khemudu, father of the groom and sarpanch of Pandripani panchayat. The other two have been identified as Subash Khara and Santosh Kumar Sahu.

“Three others who are critically injured have been admitted to the district hospital,” the police officer said.

Witnesses said the wedding procession was on its way to the bride’s house when a rice-laden truck from Jeypore appeared to come out of nowhere and mowed down the procession.

“The truck driver appeared to be drunk. After the mishap, he was apprehended by locals and thrashed,” said Prahallad Meena.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, road accident deaths in Odisha have gone up from 3,931 in 2014 to 4,738 in 2020.

Last month, four people were killed and over 15 seriously injured when a speeding car ploughed into a procession going to immerse a Durga idol in the Pathalgaon area of Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur district.

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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