Soro (Balasore): What was meant to be a day of celebration turned into a heartbreaking tragedy for a family in Soro In Balasore district on Monday. On his daughter Pari’s third birthday, 35-year-old Umakanta Padhi lost his life in a road accident while going to fetch her birthday cake.
Umakanta, a resident of Mangalpur village under Soro police limits, had returned home just two days earlier from Varanasi, where he worked in a private company. The house had been decorated with balloons, relatives had gathered, and only the cake was left to mark the special day. But fate intervened cruelly.
On Monday afternoon, while riding his motorcycle towards Soro, a stone-laden dumper truck rammed into him from behind near Bhagabati Traders in Bagudi Bazaar. He died on the spot. Locals rushed him to Soro Community Health Centre and alerted the police. However, he was declared dead by the doctors. While the truck fled the scene, police have begun an investigation into the incident.
The incident has plunged the family into unbearable grief. Umakanta’s mother was seen crying inconsolably on the road, while relatives struggled to come to terms with the sudden loss. The birthday celebration that was to be filled with laughter and music turned into a day of mourning.
Locals also pointed out that Bagudi Bazaar has become an accident-prone spot. In a chilling coincidence, around three to four years ago, another man had lost his life under a truck’s wheels at the same location while going to bring his daughter home from her hostel during Holi. Today’s tragedy has reignited concerns about road safety in the area.
