Pinku could have been saved

KOSAGUMUDA: (Nabarangpur): The family members of Prasant Patro (Pinku), the hapless PSO who was killed along with Umerkote MLA Jagabandhu Majhi, on Monday, said Pinku could have been saved if he had been rushed to hospital in time."When the associates of the MLA were busy attending  Majhi at the spot, my son was breathing. Had they paid any attention to his life, he would have been alive now,” lamented Kanhu Patro, Pinku’s father, adding his son lay in that condition for one and a half hours. “What we got was his dead body,” he said.His family members said Pinku was 23 years old and had no experience in dealing with extreme situations like this one. He was posted as the MLA’s PSO in the first week of this month. Pinku had returned home last week and was undergoing treatment for malaria when he got a call from Umerkote police to join duty.They added that Pinku had informed them about the MLA receiving threat calls.“None of the government officials attended his funeral. At least the locals gave him the respect he deserved by being present when his mortal remains were consigned to flames,” Kanhu said.Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday spoke to him over phone. Nabarangpur MLA Manahara Randhari, District BJD president Jayadev Parida, DIG Soumendra Priyadarshi, SP Niti Sekhar have met the bereaved family.