Senior BJD Leader Prasanna Acharya Critical After Car Crash In Odisha’s Sambalpur

Bhubaneswar: Senior BJD leader Prasanna Acharya was seriously injured after his car collided with a gas tanker near Beladihi, barely 5 km away from Rairakhol in Odisha’s Sambalpur district late on Thursday.

He has been admitted to the ICU of a private hospital in Sambalpur.

According to police sources, the accident took place on NH-55 Sambalpur-Rairakhol road around 12:30 am when the former Rajya Sabha member was on his way to Bargarh from Bhubaneswar after attending a party meeting at Naveen Niwas. Acharya and his personal security officer (PSO) were critically injured in the mishap, while his driver sustained minor injuries.

Though Acharya’s condition is stable, he could be flown to Bhubaneswar by air ambulance for better care. “He sustained severe external injuries and has received 35 stitches on his forehead and nose. The CT scan has revealed no internal injuries. He is conscious and under observation at the ICU,” a doctor treating him told the media.

His PSO suffered fractured ribs in the accident, the doctor added.

Police have registered a case and detained the tanker driver for interrogation.

Acharya is a frontrunner for the Rairakhol assembly segment in the upcoming elections.