One Kanwariya killed, two others critical as truck hits van in Odisha's Keonjhar
Published By : Sourav Das
| July 21, 2025 11:01 AM
Keonjhar, July 21: In a tragic incident, one Kanwariya (devotee) was killed and two others sustained critical injuries after a truck hit the van they were travelling in Joda area in Odisha's Keonjhar district today.
The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained.
As per reports, the mishap took place on NH-520 within Champua police limits in the wee hours when a group of Kaudias, popularly known as Bol Bam devotees, had traveled from Rourkela Sector-2 to the Murga Mahadev Temple in Keonjhar to perform Jal Abhishek—the ritual of pouring water on the Shiv Linga.
After completing the ceremony, the group was en route to the Maa Tarini Temple in Ghatagaon for darshan when tragedy struck. A speeding truck crashed into their pickup van and then fled from the scene thereafter.
Upon getting the information, police arrived at the spot and seized the deceased’s body. Subsequently, it was sent for postmortem.
A case has been registered, and an investigation is currently underway to trace the truck driver and determine the sequence of events, according to official sources. The exact cause of death will be confirmed following the autopsy report.
