Woman alleges harassment by scooter rider; R.M. Nagar police begin probe after social media complaint

When the MGR Chennai Central–Bhubaneswar Superfast Express pulled into the Bhubaneswar railway station on the morning of June 27, Sari Juang, along with her two younger sisters, had just cheated death by a mile. The over 1,500-km journey back to their home State followed a deadly ammonia gas leak at their workplace – a seafood processing plant in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur – on June 21.Sari and her sisters Sasmita and Ratni were witness to the death and destruction caused by the gas leak that tore through the seafood plant, killing their co-workers, mostly women and minor girls from Odisha. Of the 17 migrant workers who died, 14 were from Odisha – all in their teens and from the Juang community – two from Assam, and one from Jharkhand. Some of the workers are still undergoing treatment in hospitals in Tamil Nadu.According to survivor accounts, the gas leak occurred outside the workers’ residential quarters during night, exposing them to toxic fumes while they were asleep. Following initial investigations, officials said labour contractors specifically hired women and even minor girls from the Juang tribal community – a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) from Odisha – after luring them with the hope of steady income and advance payments to their families.By the time Sari reached her village, Kodipasa in Banspal block of Keonjhar district, two of her closest friends had already been cremated.The Juang community lives in scattered hamlets across the hill districts of Keonjhar, Angul and Dhenkanal, and survive on shifting cultivation and forest produce. The women and girls of Kodipasa leaving their home and travelling the length of the country wasn’t usual until recently. “Because of low literacy and non-exposure to the outside world, Juangs are not familiar with migration,” said an official of the Tribal Welfare Department. And yet at least 20 girls – three more girls from the village are on ventilator support in Tamil Nadu hospitals – from one village made the journey to the southern State drawn by the promise of a good income, ₹15,000 per month, for each worker.‘No other option’“What choice did we have?” Sari retorted. “We are four sisters and two brothers. Our father died years ago. Whatever little our mother earns is not enough to feed all of us. Beyond subsidised rice [provided under the public distribution system], we have nothing,” she said. The sisters, aged 18 and below, had set out to Tamil Nadu to earn enough money to build a liveable house in Kodipasa.Keonjhar is also the home district of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, whose government has announced an ex gratia of ₹10 lakh for the families of the deceased. A little away from Sari’s home, Basang Juang, 50, pointed to a newly laid tin roof funded by ₹9,000 sent home by her daughter, Phulamani, 18, who was among the first five Juang girls who died in the gas leak incident.“My daughter used to travel 10 km every day to Keonjhar town to work as a construction labourer. Even that work was irregular. So, she chose to travel to Tamil Nadu,” said Basang.Two huts away lived Sujani Juanga, in her mid-teens. Her family includes an alcoholic brother, an intellectually challenged sister, and another sister who returned home after marriage. Their mother earns a living working odd jobs. Before she succumbed to the ammonia leak, Sujani had managed to send home ₹4,000 in two instalments.The poverty and distinct cultural practices of the Juangs led to their identification as a PVTG. To address their development needs, the Juang Development Agency (JDA) was established at Gonasika in Keonjhar in 1978, with a mandate to serve 5,490 people across 32 habitations. Sari’s village, Kodipasa, is one of these hamlets.Nearly five decades on, the presence of a dedicated agency, however, seems to have brought little change to the lives of the people. While infrastructure has improved with blacktopped roads reaching Kodipasa over the past decade, the socio-economic conditions of the villa

Over 20 lakh names have been deleted from the Odisha voter list as the Election Commission on Sunday (July 5, 2026) published the draft report of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.S. Gopalan said that before the SIR, Odisha’s total electors were 3,33,99,591. Now, as per the published draft report, 3,13,87,034 names were present. Of the total electors, 1,60,19,176 were male, 1,53,65,083 were female and 2,775 were transgender.Of the deleted voters, the deceased were 8.32 lakhs or 2.49% of total electors, while 10.07 lakh voters (3.02%) were either absent or shifted. The number of voters who enrolled in multiple places were 1.58 lakh (0.47%).Booth-level lists of electors reported as deceased, permanently migrated, untraceable, or whose forms were not received were shared with the Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by the political parties for verification, said the CEO’s office.According to a statement issued by the CEO, as on July 5, 2026, out of 3,33,99,591 electors, 3,13,87,034 (93.97%) submitted their enumeration forms, reflecting an overwhelming participation in the first phase of the SIR. The successful completion of this phase was carried out by district election officers of all 30 districts, 147 Electoral Registration Officers, 994 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, 4,540 Booth Level Supervisors and BLOs deployed at 45,250 polling booths supported by volunteers.It said field representatives of all seven recognised political parties, including their district presidents, also actively participated, with 84,594 BLAs appointed by them.“As per Para 5(b) of SIR guidelines, no name can be deleted from the draft roll published on July 5, 2026 without notice and a speaking order by the Electoral Registration Officer or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer,” Mr. Gopalan said.He said any aggrieved elector might appeal to the District Collector and thereafter to the Chief Electoral Officer under Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Volunteers were also being trained to assist electors in filing appeals.Transparent processThe Election Commission said it was committed to a transparent, participative and inclusive revision process, ensuring that no eligible elector was left out and no ineligible name remained in the electoral rolls.Now, claims and objections will be received between July 5, 2026 and August 4, 2026. The notice phase (hearing and verification) can be carried out from July 5, 2026 to September 2, 2026. The final electoral roll will be published on September 6, 2026.“If name is not found in the draft voter list, to include the name, Form 6 is required to be filled and submitted along with [Declaration Form] and other documents with appropriate authority,” said the commission.Electors who attained or would attain 18 years of age on or before July 1, 2026 were being encouraged to apply through Form-6 along with the prescribed declaration form. Special camps would be conducted across the State to enrol all eligible young voters, said the CEO.The Biju Janata Dal challenged the SIR draft report, claiming 27 lakh names were deleted from the electoral roll against the claimed 20 Lakh.‘No consistency in figures’BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said that according to the final electoral roll published in 2025, the State had 3,40,72,744 registered voters as reflected on the official website.After the Election Commission issued the notification for the SIR in Odisha on May 14, political parties were informed in a meeting held on May 15 that the State had approximately 3.34 crore voters, said Mr. Mishra.“Subsequently, on June 12, the voter strength was shown as 3,33,99,591. However, while publishing the draft electoral roll on Sunday, the CEO, Odisha stated that there are only 3,13,87,034 voters. There is, therefore, no consistency among the figures officially provi

The process of pumping out ammonia gas from St. Peter and Paul Pvt. Ltd., a seafood processing unit at Kannigaipair in Tiruvallur district, will continue on Monday.The unit witnessed a leak of the toxic gas on June 21, which left 18 workers dead and many hospitalised.Collector S. Kavitha said that the operation would continue until the gas is completely removed.The same safety protocols will be in place and medical teams, along with ambulances and the police and Fire and Rescue Services personnel, will be on standby.Work to remove ammonia was carried out by a team of industry experts from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The process of removing the gas in a liquefied state was carried out by a team of experts including personnel from industries that use ammonia.According to safety protocols, such evacuations are best carried out during the daytime, as ammonia spreads faster at night when the temperatures are lower. Additionally, the teams would be more alert during the day. Published - July 06, 2026 12:27 am IST

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi in a group photo during an interactive session with business delegates from Japan at the convention centre, in Bhubaneswar on July 4, 2026. | This comes a day after Adani Enterprises and UAE’s International Holding Company (IHC) Group signed a memorandum of understanding with the State, marking the its largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).The projects were aimed at promoting collaboration in clean energy, advanced manufacturing and industrial development.The MoC reflects the shared commitment of the Government of Odisha, IHI Corporation and ACME Group to explore opportunities for establishing large-scale clean energy and industrial projects in the State, leveraging Odisha’s resource strength, industrial ecosystem, and policy support.The collaboration is expected to facilitate technology transfer, promote sustainable industrialisation and generate significant employment and economic opportunities, the statement said.According to a statement issued by Industries Department, the proposed projects involve a cumulative investment of ₹67,000 crore and generate employment opportunities for around 7,000 people in Odisha.This includes a 0.4 MTPA green ammonia project at Gopalpur–Tata SEZ with an investment of ₹20,000 crore and employment potential of 3,400, along with an associated jetty-less floating terminal infrastructure involving an additional investment of ₹1,000 crore.Further, a 0.8 MTPA green ammonia project at Paradip is proposed with an investment of ₹34,000 crore and employment potential of 3,600, along with a methanol project involving an investment of ₹12,000 crore.The MoC was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Industries Minister Sampad Chandra Swain and World Bank Group and representatives from Japan which included senior leadership from IHI Corporation and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company.“The MoU marks another significant step in strengthening the long-standing economic partnership between Odisha and Japan. By combining Japanese technological expertise with Odisha’s industrial strengths and strategic location, the collaboration is expected to accelerate investments in clean energy and advanced manufacturing while creating new opportunities for MSMEs, ancillary industries, local enterprises and skilled youth across the State,” the government said.“Japan has been one of India’s most trusted development and investment partners, recognised globally for technological excellence, innovation and long-term commitment. The signing of this Memorandum of Cooperation with IHI Corporation and ACME Group marks another important milestone in Odisha’s industrial journey,” Mr. Majhi said, welcoming Japanese enterprises.Adani Enterprises and IHC group on Thursday (July 2) signed MoU for projects such as alumina refinery, aluminum smelter and power plant at different locations in the State. Published - July 04, 2026 04:25 am IST

The deceased was identified as Anjana Juanga of Kendujhar in Odisha. File | Jothi Ramalingam The death toll in the ammonia gas leak at a seafood processing and export facility in Tiruvallur district increased to 17, following the death of a woman from Odisha on Tuesday (June 30, 2026).According to a bulletin issued by the Health Department, the deceased was identified as Anjana Juanga of Kendujhar in Odisha.Of the 83 persons who were affected in the ammonia gas leak that occurred on June 21, 15 women are still hospitalised — one on ventilator support, six under oxygen support, and eight patients stable. So far, 51 persons were discharged after treatment. Published - July 01, 2026 10:10 pm IST

Doctors examine those affected by the ammonia gas leak at a hospital in Tiruvallur district. | Jothi Ramalingam The toll in the ammonia gas leak at a seafood processing and export facility in Tiruvallur district climbed to 11 on Thursday (June 25, 2026) after another woman from Odisha died, according to a bulletin issued by the Health department.The victim was identified as Rita Juanga. Currently, 67 persons – 64 women and three men – are undergoing treatment. Of them, 16 patients are on ventilator support, 21 are receiving nasal oxygen, and 30 patients are stable.The mortal remains of seven persons have been airlifted to Odisha so far. The mortal remains of the remaining four persons will be transported in due course of time, once all legal formalities are completed, the bulletin said. Published - June 25, 2026 11:26 am IST