Odisha minister's domestic help dies of electrocution; BJD demands probe

A domestic help working at the official residence of Odisha minister Krushna Chandra Patra in Bhubaneswar died due to alleged electrocution on Thursday, police said. Addressing media persons here at the party office, BJD vice-president Sanjay Das Burma said an aide of a cabinet minister of the state died suddenly, and the police have handed over the body to his family after registering an unnatural death case.

A domestic help working at the official residence of Odisha minister Krushna Chandra Patra in Bhubaneswar died due to alleged electrocution on Thursday, police said. The deceased has been identified as Shankarshan Nag, 46, a native of the Belpahar area in Balangir district. According to police, Shankarshan had been working as a domestic help at the minister's residence for the past few months and was staying in the official quarter of Patra. On Thursday, the minister's personal staff found Shankarshan lying unconscious on the floor of the room. He was immediately rushed to Capital Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, the police said. Following the incident, police reached the spot, recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem examination. ''From prima facie, it was found that the man died due to accidental electrocution. We have registered an unnatural death case, and further investigation is in progress,'' said Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena. Raising questions over the death of the private staff of the minister, the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) demanded a proper investigation into his death. Addressing media persons here at the party office, BJD vice-president Sanjay Das Burma said an aide of a cabinet minister of the state died suddenly, and the police have handed over the body to his family after registering an unnatural death case. ''This hasty move by the government has raised many questions,'' he said. The BJD leader sought a clarification on the incident from the Chief Minister Mohan Majhi himself, who is in charge of the Home department. He alleged that the media representatives were prevented from talking to the family members of the deceased. ''It shows that the government is trying to hide something. Therefore, the state government should conduct a proper investigation into the case and clarify the cause of death,'' Das Burma demanded. Minister Patra has not made a statement on the incident till Friday late evening.

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