Former MLA Arjun Das cremated at native village in Odisha

Jajpur: Former Congress MLA and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Arjun Das, who died in a road accident yesterday, was cremated today at his native Bijipur village in Odisha’s Jajpur district.

The last rite of Arjun Das was performed in the presence of Odisha Revenue Minister Pramila Mallik, former Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang, his son Sisir Gamang, prominent farmer leader Akshay Kumar and others.

A sand-laden truck hit the bike of Das on Kharasrota Bridge in Jajpur district while he was going to Bhubaneswar from Jajpur to attend a farmers’ meeting organised by the BRS along with one of his friends Ananta Mohanty yesterday.

Soon Das was taken to the Jajpur the district headquarters hospital (DHH) where he was declared brought dead, while Ananta was shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack as his condition was critical.

Later, the Jajpur Sadar police registered a case in connection with the incident and seized the truck. The driver of the truck was also arrested by the cops.

Arjun Das was the Congress MLA from the Binjharpur assembly constituency between 1995 and 2000. He is the son of former Jajpur MP Anadi Das. He had recently joined the BRS party led by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in Hyderabad.