Pattamundai: A crocodile dragged away a minor boy from her mother lap while taking bath in Brahmani river at Nimapur village under Sasan panchayat of Pattamundai block in Kendrapara district.
According to reports, the Ashok Acharya’s wife Puspalata along with her minor son Ashutosh (10), and daughter Sangita has gone to take bath in the river ghat early this morning to start celebration of Raja festival.
However, when they were taking bath large crocodile pounced upon the minor boy, who was sitting on her mother’s lap, and dragged him into deep water. Hearing his mother’s cry, the family and villagers reached the spot but there was no trace of the minor boy.
Later, fire service personnel reached the spot and after hours of search they recovered the minor boy’s dead body on the banks of Brahmani river in nearby Narendrapur village.
It appears that Ashutosh is studying in the fifth standard at Nimpur Gham Nodal High School. For Raj festival, the villagers usually take a dip in the river. There is a crocodile menace in the Brahmani river, but the district administration and the forest department have not taken any concrete steps to tackle it.
Rajnagar MLA Dhruba Sahu, Pattamundi Block Chairman Pradyum Samantray, Sason Sarpanch Sangram Barik, met the bereaved family and expressed their condolences.
Rajnagar MLA also discussed with the DFO and directed to take proper security measures in the crocodile-infested river. Demanding protection of people due to frequent crocodile attacks in Brahmani river, villagers of Nimapur blocked road between Pattamundai and Rajnagar.
The road blockade was called off after Pattamundi Tehsildar Dillip Sethi, SDPO Sandhyarani Beuria, Model PS IIC Tapan Kumar Raut, Rural IIC Antyarami Biswal reached the spot and pacified the people with promise of security measures.
Reportedly, the local police have seized the dead body and sent it for post-mortem.
