Footballer dies, 3 mourners hurt in mishaps

BHUBANESWAR: A promising football player of the City died in a road mishap near Hansapal on Thursday evening. In a bizarre twist to the story, when his friends and locals were taking out his body in a procession a few hours later, three of them were hit by a mini-truck and sustained serious injuries.Police said, Kanhu Charan Dalei, the footballer, was heading towards Gopalpur (near Cuttack) to take part in a flood-light football match when he met with the accident. He died on the spot. The incident occurred in late afternoon.By the time the body reached Capital Hospital, it was past 5 pm beyond which post-mortem is not allowed. However, Kanhu’s friends and supporters from Unit VI area demanded completion of the formality in the night and resorted to road blockade. Police reached the spot and promised that the post-mortem would be conducted.Later in the evening, when the locals were taking the body in a procession, a mini-truck rammed it and critically injured the three. Irate locals ransacked the vehicle. The three were rushed to Capital Hospital and are under observation.