Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh for the family of senior journalist Sheela Pattanayak, who was killed in a road accident earlier this month.
The assistance will be provided from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF), Majhi announced in a post on X. Expressing profound grief over the demise of the journalist, the Chief Minister paid tribute to her dedicat
ion to the profession and her commitment to honest and responsible journalism. Her contribution to news reporting and her sense of duty would always be remembered with respect, Majhi added.
Sheela, who worked with a local channel, died in an accident on National Highway-316 near Mangalpur Chhak in Pipili on January 6. She is survived by a minor son and her parents.
According to sources, Sheela was crushed to death under a bus after the scooter in which she was travelling, along with a female companion from Bhubaneswar to Puri, skidded on sand scattered on Bhubaneswar-Puri highway. She died on the spot. Her female companion was rushed to nearby hospital at Mangalpur, where she succumbed.
After the mishap, several journalist associations and civil society groups expressed condolences and demanded support for her bereaved family.