Road Mishap / Seven Odisha Pilgrims Killed In MP Accident Cremated Together At Puri Swargadwar

Puri, Sep 21: A sombre atmosphere prevailed at Puri’s Swargadwar on Monday as the mortal remains of seven Odisha pilgrims who died in a tragic road accident in Madhya Pradesh were cremated together in the presence of their family members.

The last rites were performed in the early hours of Monday after the bodies were brought back to Odisha. Arrangements for the cremation were made by the district administration and the Swargadwar Seva Samiti following directions from the state government.

The Puri Additional District Magistrate was present at Swargadwar and supervised the arrangements for the last rites.

Family Members Perform Last Rites
Among the deceased were siblings and members of their families who had travelled to Madhya Pradesh to visit the Mahakaleshwar Temple.

Dilip Behera performed the last rites of his sister Ritarani, her husband Gyanendra Kumar Behera, their son Sai Swastik and his unmarried sister Radharani.

Niranjan Behera performed the last rites of Siba Prasad Behera and his two children, Sai Swayam Prabha and Krishna Rajveer.

The cremations brought an emotional end to a pilgrimage that had turned into a tragedy for the Behera family.

Seven Family Members Killed In Madhya Pradesh Accident
Seven members of the family were killed after the car in which they were travelling was swept into a rain-swollen nullah by strong currents near the Baglamukhi Temple in Nalkheda in Madhya Pradesh’s Agar Malwa district on the night of September 18.

The victims were reportedly returning to Ujjain in a taxi when the accident occurred. The deceased included Siba Prasad Behera, 42; his daughter Sai Swayam Prabha, 6; his son Krishna Rajveer, 13; his sister Ritarani, 38; her husband Gyanendra Kumar Behera; their son Sai Swastik, 10; and Radharani, 35.

Radharani, the youngest sister of Siba, was reportedly scheduled to get engaged on September 27. The taxi driver, a native of Madhya Pradesh, also died in the accident.

The family had travelled to Madhya Pradesh on September 16 and was scheduled to return on September 21.

Also Read: Ganesh Idol Immersions Claim 11 Lives in Odisha

Family Questions Safety Arrangements
Meanwhile, Sarbeswar Behera, brother of deceased Siba Prasad Behera, blamed the Agar Malwa district administration for the accident, alleging that there were no adequate signboards or barricades at the spot.

Earlier, the mortal remains of the seven victims reached the Atmaram Basti in Jayadev Vihar, Bhubaneswar, before being taken to Gadakan -- the native place of the Behera family.

A special team led by Madhya Pradesh Revenue Inspector Rahul Jain brought the mortal remains of seven Odisha accident victims to Bhubaneswar in three ambulances. The team travelled continuously for nearly 30 hours to ensure that the bodies reached their families and also handed over all necessary documents, including the FIR and death certificates. The post-mortem reports of all seven deceased are expected to be sent by email shortly. The Madhya Pradesh government has announced ex gratia assistance of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of the deceased. The amount is expected to be transferred to their bank accounts soon, the Madhya Pradesh Revenue Inspector said.

Siba Prasad and his father Banamali Behera ran the Behera Hotel near their residence.

The tragedy has left the family and relatives mourning the loss of seven members in a single accident.