BERHAMPUR: A 46-year-old man was found dead in a well inside the premises of a temple at Adapada village under Sanakhemundi block in Ganjam district on Monday morning. The deceased was identified as Purnachandra Raut.
According to sources, the priest of Sri Madan Mohan temple had gone to draw water from the temple well for morning rituals when he spotted a man floating in the water. He immediately alerted the local residents.
Villagers rushed to the spot, rescued Raut from the well in an unconscious condition and shifted him to the local community health centre. However, the doctor declared him brought dead.
On being informed, Hinjili police reached the hospital and seized the body for postmortem. IIC Srinivas Sethy said an unnatural death case has been registered in connection with the incident. After the postmortem examination at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur, the body was handed over to the bereaved family.
Though the exact circumstances leading to Raut’s death are yet to be established, locals suspect that he accidentally fell into the well on Sunday night.
According to villagers, Raut and a few others were allegedly gambling inside the temple premises when someone suddenly shouted “Police! Police!”, triggering panic. While attempting to flee in the darkness, Raut is suspected to have accidentally fallen into the uncovered well.
The IIC said police have launched an investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the incident.