Kendrapara, Nov 18: A 36-year-old man was arrested on Sunday for allegedly killing three of his family members and injuring his mother at a village in Odisha's Kendrapara district.

Bikram Das, who allegedly committed the crime in an inebriated state on Saturday midnight and had fled from the crime spot, was arrested from Marshaghai area, Kendrapara Superintendent of Police, Niti Sekhar, said.

The incident had taken place at Madhusudanpur village under the jurisdiction of Patkura Police Station.

The accused Bikram Das, who is a truck driver, had returned home in an inebriated state and when his family members protested, he reacted violently and dealt lethal blows on his grandparents Dhruba Das (80), Saraswati Das (65) and paternal aunt Pratima Das.

The victims who had sustained multiple wounds were rushed to the Kendrapara district headquarters hospital here where they were declared dead, the police said.

Ketaki Das, mother of the accused, is in hospital and at present she is out of danger.

The accused has confessed to the crime, the police added.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.

The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.

The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.

Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.

The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.

"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.

To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.

"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.

The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.

The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.

It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.