Baleswar district officials on Wednesday sent Sujata Panda, daughter-in-law of late freedom fighter Indira laxmi Panda to her home in Jeypore by a vehicle as directed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The CM on Tuesday had directed the district Collector to ensure that an official accompanies and escorts Sujata to her home in Jeypore with due honour.
Sujata, daughter-in-law of Panda of Azad Hind Fauz, had come from Jeypore to Bhubaneswar with her husband Surendra Panda and son Babula Panda to be felicitated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Raj Bhavan on Sunday.
However, while returning, she mistakenly reached Baleswar instead of Jeypore after boarding a wrong train. She was unable to return to Jeypore as she had no money with her.
While Surendra Panda and his son had boarded Hirakhand Express, Sujata Panda had boarded the Utkal Express and was rescued by a co-passenger Debapriya Samal at the railway station here at around 3 am while she was on the verge of committing suicide after having lost her way.
Co-passenger Samal handed her over to the Government Railway Police (GRP) at the railway station here. However, Sujata’s son Babula is still missing.
Meanwhile, Nalco, apparently in reaction to the blame being put at its doorsteps, clarified that Surendra Panda and other five family members had been offered a vehicle by the company to come from Jeypore to Bhubaneswar and return to Jeypore. However, they informed that they would come on their own by train and the expenses were to be reimbursed by Nalco. Accordingly, they arrived at the company guesthouse in Bhubaneswar and participated in the function.
For their return, they preferred to go by train and informed that they would make their own arrangements to go to the station. As per their wish and requirement, they were provided Rs 6,000 as expenses towards travel and food. After taking lunch in the guesthouse, they left at around 4 pm to go around Bhubaneswar and then proceed to the railway station to board the Hirakhand Express to Jeypore.
In the station, while Surendra had gone to fetch drinking water, Sujata inadvertently boarded the Utkal Express and later de-boarded at Baleswar, a Nalco release said.