BJP Leaders die as a dumper truck crashes into their car in Odisha; foul play is suspected.
Two BJP leaders died in a car crash involving a dumper in Odisha's Sambalpur district early Sunday morning. The deceased, Debendra Nayak and Muralidhar Chhuria, were close associates of senior BJP leader Nauri Naik. There are allegations of possible foul play, and an investigation is currently underway, as the dumper driver has been detained.
Arpit Pattnaik
Two BJP leaders died when a dumper collided with their car in Sambalpur district, Odisha, early Sunday, according to police.
The deceased were identified as Debendra Nayak, the BJP's Goshala mandal president, and Muralidhar Chhuria, a former sarpanch. Both were close associates of senior BJP leader Nauri Naik.
The accident occurred around 1:30 a.m. on NH-53 in the Burla police station area as a group of six individuals, including the driver, was returning to Kardola from Bhubaneswar. While all six were rushed to a nearby hospital, Nayak and Chhuria were declared dead on arrival, and the others are currently undergoing treatment.
Suresh Chanda, one of the injured, alleged foul play, claiming that the dumper struck their vehicle twice on the highway and then chased and hit it a third time when they turned onto a rural road near Kantapalli Square. "I believe it was intentional. By mistake, one can hit a vehicle once, but why hit it three times?" he questioned.
Former Rengali MLA Nauri Naik also supported this allegation, asserting that the collision appeared deliberate.
Sambalpur SP Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo confirmed that the dumper has been seized and its driver detained. "Given the family's allegations, we will investigate the possibility of intentional foul play," he added.
