Argus News | Odisha News Today

Brahmapur, Nov 3: A massive rescue effort, christened ‘Operation Jeevan’, is continuing in Gidhipabali area in Odisha’s Ganjam district, where officials are battling difficult terrain and giant boulders in a desperate search for survivors trapped beneath landslide debris. The operation, now on its fourth day, was launched following the devastating landslide triggered on the night of October 28, when huge rocks and mounds of earth crashed down from a hill, burying homes and altering lives in a matter of moments. Houses Buried According to officials, nine houses were completely buried under the debris. Of the 25 residents living in the affected hamlet, 13 managed to escape. However, several people remain unaccounted for, prompting an intensive search operation involving multiple government agencies. Rescue teams have encountered significant challenges due to the size of the boulders scattered across the site. Authorities said even chain-pulling techniques commonly used by the Railways fa

Rayagada, Nov 4: In a major judgment in the sensational 2019 Bibhuti Bhushan Pujari kidnapping and extortion case, the Additional District and Sessions Court in Rayagada has sentenced nine accused to life imprisonment after finding them guilty of kidnapping, attempted murder, unnatural sexual assault and illegal possession of firearms. The court convicted notorious criminal Hadapa Shiva along with G. Bangaru, Sundhi Suraj, Sundhi Prakash, Majhi Raja, Majhi Joseph, G. Venu, G. Teja and G. Surendra. Eight of the convicts were also fined Rs 20,000 each, while one was fined Rs 10,000. Failure to pay the fines will result in additional imprisonment ranging from three to six months. Also read: Odisha Vigilance arrests land acquisition officer in Rs 3.10 lakh bribe trap According to the prosecution, Bibhuti Bhushan Pujari was travelling by train from Visakhapatnam on November 18, 2019, when the accused allegedly claimed he was carrying cannabis and demanded Rs 10 lakh from him. They later abd