Senior BJD leader Prasanna Acharya injured in car accident

Bhubaneswar: Senior Biju Janata Dal leader and former MP Prasanna Acharya sustained injuries after his vehicle collided with a truck on National Highway 55 in Odisha's Sambalpur district.

The accident happened late Thursday night and Acharya’s Personal security Officer also suffered fractures while the driver escaped with minor injuries.

Acharya was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Sambalpur till the last report came in.

The injured PSO told mediapersons that they were returning to Bargarh from Bhubaneswar when their vehicle collided with another truck head on. They were rushed to a nearby Rairakhol CHC hospital and later shifted to a private hospital in Sambalpur.

“Our former minister Prasanna Acharya met with an accident late yesterday night. He has been admitted in Vikash Hospital here. The doctors told me that his condition is stable now. I personally saw him and he (Acharya) also talked with me. The doctors will suggest whether to treat him here or shift him to Bhubaneswar according to his health condition. If required, he will be airlifted to Bhubaneswar and we are making arrangements for Air Ambulance for this,” said Akshay Sunil Agrawal, Collector Sambalpur.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan among several other leaders expressed shock and wished speedy recovery for Acharya.

“I am worried to hear that former Rajya Sabha MP and Biju Janata Dal vice-president Prasanna Acharya has met with an accident and is undergoing treatment in a hospital now. I pray for his speedy recovery and a healthy and long life," CM Patnaik wrote on X.