Odisha Loses A Bright, Young Journalist As Arindam Das Drowns During Live Reporting

Bhubaneshwar, Sep 24 (TNA) A bright young journalist lost his life during a live reporting session in Odisha on Friday, plunging the media world in the coastal state in shock and mourning.

Arindam Das, Chief Reporter of OTV was student of the 2004-5 batch Oriya Journalism of the Indian Institute Of Mass Communication (IIMC) was covering an ODRAF rescue operation of an elephant inside a river at Munduli.

A tusker got stranded near the barrage while trying to cross Mahanadi. The wild animal was unable to move due to the strong current in the river. The ODRAF team then launched an operation with its team to save the elephant.

Arindam was covering the operation to rescue the elephant stuck in the Mahanadi river at Mundali barrage in Cuttack. He boarded a boat along with an ODRAF team accompanied by cameraman Prabhat Sinha. The boat however capsized and Das and Sinha were swept away by the strong current.

A rescue operation was launched and all the crew and personnel were brought to the banks. Arindam and Sinha were rushed to the SCB Medical Hospital in Cuttack where the doctors tried to resuscitate Das but it was too late and he passed away.

Arindam, over the years has made a name as a fearless and innovative field-reporter, his colleagues said. He had covered several floods and cyclones.