Jajpur: Congress leader, Ranjit Raj, was killed in a fatal road accident on Wednesday after being struck by a speeding truck at Duburi Chhak in Odisha’s Jajpur district.
He was the vice-president of Jajpur District Congress Committee.
According to sources, the accident took place in the afternoon when Raj was hit by the truck while crossing the road in the Kalinganagar Industrial area. The truck driver fled the scene, abandoning the vehicle and leaving Raj critically injured. Despite efforts to provide immediate medical treatment, he succumbed to his injuries.
The tragic death sparked immediate anger among supporters and locals, who blocked key roads at Duburi Chhak and along Jajpur Road. Protesters, demanding the arrest of the hit-and-run driver, disrupted traffic on major routes linking Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Chandikhol, and Jajpur. Commuters and transporters faced long delays as vehicles were stranded amid the demonstrations. Police and district administration officials, including the Deputy Collector of Jajpur and personnel from Kalinganagar police station, rushed to the site to pacify the agitated crowd.
Authorities assured protesters that action would be taken, including the arrest of the absconding driver. The blockade was eventually lifted in the evening following these assurances, and traffic was restored through diversions.
Meanwhile following the postmortem, mortal remains of the Congress leader were taken to the party office in Jajpur where workers and supporters gathered in huge numbers to pay their last respects. “We are all deeply disturbed and saddened by the news of his death. He was president of the Sukinda Block Congress Committee for over a decade and was recently appointed vice-president of Jajpur district Congress,” former OPCC chief Sarat Pattanayak told a local channel.
Police have registered a case and seized the truck. A manhunt has been launched to nab the driver, the sources added.
