Bhubaneswar, 3 August (H.S.): A railway employee was killed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast on a railway track near the Odisha-Jharkhand border in Odisha’s Sundargarh district on Sunday. Police have identified the deceased as Itua Oram, who was working as a ‘key man’ with Indian Railways.
According to preliminary investigation, police suspect the involvement of Maoists in the blast, as several Maoist posters were recovered from the vicinity of the explosion site in the Saranda forest range under Sundargarh district.
The incident took place during the observation of ‘Shaheed Saptah’ (Martyrs’ Week), a week-long campaign called by Maoist groups from July 28 to August 3, increasing suspicion of insurgent involvement.
“Maintenance work will be taken up after getting clearance from the local police,” the railway official said .
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed profound grief over the death of the railway employee and extended condolences to the bereaved family. The Chief Minister also announced ₹10 lakh ex-gratia assistance from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF), as confirmed by the CMO in a post on social media platform X.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda
