SAMBALPUR: Senior BJD leader and former minister Prasanna Acharya sustained severe injuries after his car collided with a gas tanker near Beldihi, barely five kilometers away from Rairakhol in Sambalpur in the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
According to police, Acharya, along with his personal security officer (PSO) and driver, was heading towards Bargarh in his car when the accident occurred. An oxygen tanker coming from the opposite direction collided head-on with the car at around 12:30 am, injuring Acharya and his PSO. Fortunately, the driver escaped with minor injuries due to the deployed airbags.
The former BJD Rajya Sabha member was initially taken to Rairakhol sub-divisional hospital and later shifted to a private hospital in Sambalpur after receiving primary treatment.
Hospital officials stated that Acharya sustained external injuries, including head injuries, and received 35 stitches on his forehead and nose. Despite this, he remained conscious throughout the treatment and is now out of danger. However, his PSO suffered fractured ribs and minor injuries in the accident.
IG Himanshu Lal visited the hospital late at night to check on the BJD leader, while several ruling party leaders visited Acharya on Friday morning. There are plans to airlift him to Bhubaneswar for further treatment.
Police have registered a case and detained the tanker driver for interrogation. Acharya is a frontrunner from BJD for the Rairakhol assembly segment in the upcoming elections.