Bhubaneswar: An Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) boat dispatched to rescue an elephant stuck in the swirling waters of the Mahanadi overturned near Mundali bridge in Cuttack on Friday, killing a journalist and injuring another critically.
During the rescue effort, Arindam Das, 40, the main reporter of OTV, his cameraman colleague Prabhat Sinha, and five ODRAF members were in an inflatable boat that crashed owing to a high surge of water near the pillars of the Mundali barrage.
Das, who was transported to SCB Medical College and Hospital along with Sinha and four ODRAF members, was confirmed dead, according to Dr. Bhubanananda Maharana, the hospital’s emergency officer. He further said that Prabhat Sinha, the cameraman, and ODRAF personnel are in a very serious condition.
RK Sharma, the Additional Director General for Law and Order, said an inquiry into the boat disaster will be conducted to determine what caused the dinghy to capsize and why media were permitted to get aboard the boat.
An ODRAF official, who was rescued from the river, stated the boat was pulled into a vortex. ‘As the boat capsized, we tried to restore its position, but the water current was very strong. As the boat got sucked into the whirlpool, the motor stopped working. We tried to come out of the whirlpool but it was tough,’ he said.
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The managing director of OTV, Jagi Mangat Panda, tweeted: ‘He was a brave and ethical journalist who fearlessly chose to go after breaking news. This is a terrible loss despite taking safety precautions & ODRAF’s best efforts. Om Shanti.’
The journalist’s death was mourned by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national vice-president Baijayant Panda and NDRF DG Satya Narayan Pradhan. While Patnaik described Das’ death as a major loss for media, the Union minister added that the journalist created his own identity via his courageous news reporting in difficult conditions.
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