Senior BJD Leader And Former Odisha MP Injured In Road Mishap, Airlifted To Bhubaneswar

Senior BJD leader and former Odisha finance minister Prasanna Acharya sustained critical injuries after his car met with an accident with an oxygen-laden tanker near Beladihi in Odisha’s Sambalpur's Rairakhol on late Thursday night.

Acharya was initially admitted into an ICU of a private hospital in Sambalpur, where his condition was stated to be critical. However, he was airlifted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on Friday evening. The former lawmaker’s car reportedly suffered a head-on collision with a gas tanker on National Highway 55, Sambalpur-Rairakhol road, at around 3.15 am.

As per reports, the personal security officer (PSO) of the former Rajya Sabha MP is also critical while the driver of the car sustained minor injuries in the mishap.

"It was a two-way road. We were travelling at around 70-80 kilometres per hour when a truck coming from the opposite direction hit our car near Luhapank. Prasanna Acharya sustained serious injuries, I got a fracture injury in my hip. Our driver also sustained some injuries in the accident. Thankfully all the locals helped us to get to the hospital," said Acharya's PSO Raghav Pradhan.

Doctor Sirshak Ghose, superintendent of the hospital where Acharya was admitted, said, "The patient is stable now. He suffered a road accident last night. He is being treated by neurosurgeons, general surgeons and orthopaedic doctors."

Northern Range revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) Shrikant Prusty said Acharya was airlifted to a private hospital in state capital Bhubaneswar on the request of the family members.

“Prasanna Acharya’s family stays in Bhubaneswar. As per their request, he was airlifted to Bhubaneswar,” said the RDC.

Acharya was reportedly returning to Bargarh after attending a BJD party meeting at Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s residence in Bhubaneswar when the mishap took place.

The police has detained the driver of the truck for questioning.