Two school teachers on Census duty have died in Odisha within two days (Representative image)
BHUBANESWAR: Two school teachers on Census duty died within two days in separate incidents in Odisha, with officials suspecting sunstroke as the cause. The incidents were reported from Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh districts, where temperatures have crossed 37 degrees Celsius.
This is the third such death linked to Census duty in the state. In Mayurbhanj district, Rajkapur Hembram, a teacher at Baidyanath High School under Betnoti block, died on Sunday evening while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Baripada. He had been taken to the hospital after he fell unconscious on returning from a door-to-door census survey, his nephew Laxmikant Hembram said. Mamata Das, the headmistress of the school, said, “Rajkapur Hembram complained of discomfort after returning from census work.
He was admitted to the hospital and died. He was assigned three villages for census enumeration”. Family members of the deceased alleged that he had earlier informed colleagues about pressure from authorities to continue census duties despite his illness. In a separate incident in Sundargarh district, Anurag Ekka, a teacher at Jarada Government High School under Gurundia block, also fell ill during Census duty on Saturday and died the same day.
He was initially taken to the Gurundia community health centre and later shifted to the district headquarters hospital after his condition deteriorated. Officials at the Special Relief Commissioner’s office said district collectors concerned were looking into the incidents, adding that the exact cause of death would be confirmed after reports are received from district authorities. Earlier, an enumerator engaged in Census duty had allegedly died of a heart attack after returning from fieldwork in Sonepur district, according to an official letter sent to district collectors on April 21. The state government has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Census officials working in hot and humid conditions. They have been advised to avoid exposure to sunlight between 11am and 3pm, stay hydrated and carry Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) during fieldwork.
