State

Bhubaneswar: Devotees began gathering at decorated Durga Puja pandals across Odisha Saturday as Maha Saptami rituals got underway. The rituals follow Shashthi Puja held Friday, when the traditional ‘Belabarani’ ceremony was performed to invite Goddess Durga to the puja mandaps. On Maha Saptami, clay idols...

By Arindam Ganguly, OP Bhubaneswar: Located near Padmapur village in Erasama block, Siali Beach was once known for its natural beauty, lush coastal vegetation and tourism potential. Today, the beach tells a different story—one of disappearing sand, damaged infrastructure, uprooted trees and growing uncertainty. Arindam...

Sunabeda/Semiliguda: Fifty-five pupils of six classes from Shishu Vatika to Class V at Deula Primary School in Hataguda panchayat of Semiliguda block in Koraput district are forced to study in a single classroom amid a shortage of teaching staff and a lack of basic infrastructure....

Nabarangpur: A serving junior clerk and a retired government schoolteacher have been sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) each in a bribery case by the Special Judge, Vigilance, Jayapur, Friday. The convicts are Tapan Kumar Khosla, a junior clerk currently posted at New...

Nabarangpur: The alleged production and sale of adulterated liquor in tribal-dominated Nabarangpur district have raised concerns ahead of the festive season, prompting women’s groups to take to the streets and demand stronger enforcement against illegal traders. Members of women’s federations have submitted petitions to the...

Brahmapur: Former MLA Bikram Panda was questioned again Friday at Gosan inuagaon police station over allegations of issuing threats to a witness in advocate Pitabas Panda’s murder case from inside jail. Panda appeared with his lawyer in response to a police notice. Inspector Pratap Das...

Jajpur: A 67-year-old man was dragged into the Patia River by a crocodile in Barei village under Tandara panchayat in Jajpur district Friday. The victim, Gajendra Majhi, had entered the river to wash himself when a crocodile lurking near the bank attacked him, bit his...

Balangir: A joint team of the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has rescued a baby girl after she was allegedly handed over to another family by a nurse at a private hospital in Balangir, raising suspicion of child trafficking....

Padampur: A Class VII student was killed after being hit by a private bus while returning home from school in Padampur in Baragada district Friday. The deceased, Kamal Taria, 12, was a student of Lal Bahadur Upper Primary School in Padampur. According to reports, the...

Bhubaneswar/Brahmapur/Thuamul Rampur/Kendujhar: Disputes over the students' union poll results disrupted oath-taking ceremonies at some colleges in Odisha Friday, with protests, clashes and incidents of vandalism reported at a few institutions. Many students alleged “irregularities in the selection process and vote counting”, demanding recounts, fresh elections...