Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced Rs 13 lakh compensation for the family of journalist Rohit Kumar Biswal who died in an IED explosion on Saturday.
Biswal was killed in an explosion in Naxal affected Kalahandi district of Odisha where he went to cover the news about the warning to locals to boycott the forthcoming Panchayat elections in the State, informed the police.
As per sources, Biswal was tipped off about some posters surfacing near Karlakhunta Bridge warning locals to boycott the ensuing Panchayat polls.
"He rushed to the spot to check the veracity of the information. Biswal started to take pictures of the posters. He was blown away by a high-intensity blast. He died on the spot," said sources.
"It is suspected that the explosives, presumably land mines, were planted near the bridge and Biswal accidentally stepped on it,"
The Kalahandi Police and CRPF rushed to the spot upon receiving the information and are investigating the matter.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor