Odia singer Murali Mohapatra collapses and dies while performing on stage
Bhubaneswar(PTI): Popular Odia singer Murali Mohapatra collapsed and died while performing at a Durga Puja cultural event in Odisha's Koraput district, his family said.
Mohapatra, who was reportedly unwell, suddenly sat down on a chair on the stage after singing four songs in Jeypore town. When taken to a hospital, he was declared dead on arrival.
He died of a heart attack late on Sunday night, his brother Bibhuti Prasad Mohapatra said.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik condoled the death of Mohapatra.
Saddened to know about the demise of popular singer Murali Mohapatra. His sweet voice will always ignite the hearts of listeners. May his soul rest in peace. My condolences to his family, Patnaik said in a Twitter post in Odia.
The incident reminded people of singer KK's death at a hotel after a concert in Kolkata earlier this year.
Mohapatra was also a government employee working at the office of the Jeypore sub-collector. He was set to retire from service nine months later.
The singer's friend Prasant Kumar Mishra said Mohapatra had informed the audience that he was unwell and requested all to cooperate if there was any mistake.
Mohapatra used to follow the singing style of legendary Odia singer, songwriter and composer Akshaya Mohanty. People used to describe him as "Akshaya Mohanty of Jeypore".
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
