Jajpur: A four-year-old boy from Maheswarpur Panchayat under Rasulpur block of Jajpur district drowned in the Brahmani River on Monday, triggering widespread protests by villagers who blamed illegal sand mining for the incident. The child, son of Shankar Das, had reportedly been playing with four to five friends near the riverbank when he accidentally slipped into deep water.
The other children immediately alerted the family, who rushed to the spot and rescued him. He was first taken to Brahmabarada Health Centre and later shifted to Jajpur District Headquarters Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. As news of the tragedy spread, agitated villagers and family members staged a protest by placing the child’s body on the Brahmabarada bridge on the Baruan–Balichandrapur main road. They burnt tyres, erected bamboo barricades, and blocked the road from afternoon until late at night, leading to long traffic snarls with hundreds of vehicles stuck on both sides of the bridge. Villagers alleged that rampant illegal sand extraction by the mafia has created deep pits in the riverbed, causing water to accumulate dangerously.
The child is believed to have fallen into one such pit, resulting in his death. They demanded immediate closure of the illegal sand ghats, strict action against the mafia, and compensation for the bereaved family. Protesters also sought seizure of heavy vehicles transporting illegally mined sand, transfer of police officials allegedly linked to the operations, and round-the-clock service at the local health centre. Brahmabarada IIC Jayanti Mallik, Rasulpur Tahsildar Siddharth Shankar Behera, Jajpur SDPO Prashant Kumar Majhi, and Junior Officer of the Minor Minerals Department Rahul Kumar Deepsundar Sethi reached the spot to pacify the crowd.
Officials provided an immediate relief of ₹20,000 from the Red Cross Fund and assured that ₹4 lakh compensation under government provisions would be arranged. They further assured that necessary steps would be taken regarding the illegal sand mining issue. Following the assurances, the villagers withdrew the road blockade late in the night.
