A jawan of the Special Operation Group, a dedicated force raised for anti-Naxal operations in Odisha, died while undergoing routine exercise at the training school at Chandaka on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
The jawan, identified as Laxminarayan Pradhan, became unconscious when he was taking part in the daily exercise. As soon as he was spotted collapsing, he was administered first aid on the training school campus.
Subsequently, Pradhan was rushed to Capital hospital here. He, however, succumbed on the way to the hospital.
On hearing the news of his death, fellow jawans staged demonstration alleging the deceased was forced to undergo training despite being unwell. They also charged that there was no proper facility in the school.
Inspector General (Operation) Soumendra Priyadarshi, who visited the training facility, said the jawan had completed running 10-km distance in time. “The jawan lost consciousness soon after the run. He was immediately attended to,” Mr. Priyadarshi said.
The senior police official said the jawan might have died of cardiac arrest, but a post-mortem would be done to know the exact reason.
