Arindam, a known-face in the field of Odisha journalism, along with a cameraman had boarded the ODRAF boat employed to rescue a wild elephant that had struck in the mid river. The rubber boat, however, swept away in the strong water currents and capsized near a pillar of the barrage. Though four ODRAF personnel and the cameraman were rescued through ropes and rope-ladders, Arindam and another ODRAF member, Sitaram Murmu, swept away. Arindam’s body was recovered by a local boatman at a distance of 2-3 km, while Sitaram was still missing.
Arindam, a resident of Rajnagar in Keonjhar district, had taken up journalism with much serenity and professionalism. His adventurous achievements in the field are still taken as examples by co-professionals.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Ministers and leaders of various political parties have mourned his unfortunate demise. They termed Das’ death as an a big loss to the media world of Odisha.
