Bhubaneswar: Police arrested a pickup van driver on Monday for the accident which killed a student and injured 20 others after his vehicle carrying them to a Republic Day parade venue in Cuttack overturned on Sunday. The accused driver was identified as Gagana Nanda Prusty, police said.
Police said 25 students from Malaviharapur High School were en route to the parade ground near Ansupa lake for Republic Day celebrations when the driver lost control at a sharp turn in Banki area and the pick-up van overturned. The incident resulted in the death of Soumyaranjan Behera (15) and left 20 others injured.
“The school’s headmaster has been suspended for negligence. He should not have sent the children in a pick-up van,” district education officer Santosh Kumar Rout said.
CM Mohan Charan Majhi announced an ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh. The school and mass education department has also provided Rs 2 lakh to the bereaved family.
Cuttack collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde has initiated an investigation into the incident, according to sources.