Bhubaneswar, July 12:Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has announced an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh and a government job for an eligible family member of a home guard who died under mysterious circumstances while on duty during the Rath Yatra in Puri.

The deceased, Pradeep Kumar Mahanta, hailed from Hundapitha village under Ghatgaon police station limits in Kendujhar district. He was among 50 home guards from the district deployed in Puri to assist with security arrangements for the annual Rath Yatra festival.

According to official sources, Mahanta had returned to his accommodation at Satyabhama English Medium School after completing his duty on Saturday night. While resting with fellow personnel, he reportedly woke up around midnight and suddenly vomited. His colleagues noticed white foam coming from his mouth and immediately rushed him to the Sakhigopal Community Health Centre (CHC).

Doctors at the CHC, however, declared him dead. The exact cause of his death is yet to be ascertained.

Expressing deep sorrow over the incident, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a post on X that Chief Minister Majhi had approved financial assistance of ₹10 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF) for Mahanta's next of kin. The state government has also decided to provide a home guard job to an eligible member of the bereaved family.

The Chief Minister extended his heartfelt condolences to the family and prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul.