The State Government on Sunday suspended Assistant Commandant Gopabandhu Tripathy holding him responsible for the landmine blast at the Sunki Ghat in Koraput district on February 1 in which eight Odisha State Armed Police (OSAP) personnel lost their lives. Talking to reporters here, Home Department Special Secretary lalit Das stated that Tripathy has been put under suspension for dereliction of duty in connection with the landmine blast.
Notably, the blast had taken place near Mungarbhumi on the Sunki Ghat, barely one km from Andhra Pradesh border, when 13 OSAP personnel, mostly police drivers, were on their way to Angul by a police vehicle for official training. While six cops died on the spot, two others succumbed to their injuries later.
Five other critically injured policemen are undergoing treatment at a Visakhapatnam hospital. Meanwhile, Rs 10 lakh financial assistance each to the five injured OSAP jawans has been provided from the Police Welfare Fund.