Bhubaneswar: Senior Biju Janata Dal leader Prasanna Acharya sustained severe injuries after meeting with a road mishap near Beldihi Redhakhol in Sambalpur on late Thursday night.
According to sources, his car collided head-on with a gas tanker when he was returning to Bargarh from Bhubaneswar.
Prasanna and his PSO were critically injured in the mishap while his driver sustained minor injuries. Prasanna received injuries on his head, eye, and neck. He and his PSO are undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Sambalpur.
The Rajya Sabha MP has received a total of 36 stitches on his body. Acharya and his PSO will be airlifted to Bhubaneswar for further treatment, sources said.
Thanks to a driver of a 108 ambulance who was returning on the road, Acharya was taken to Redhakhol Hospital immediately after the mishap. Later, he was shifted to a Sambalpur-based private hospital after undergoing first-aid treatment.
Meanwhile, his family members have started arriving at the hospital.
On a tip-off, police reached the spot and detained the tanker driver for interrogation.