Orissa Chief Minister hurt in accident

BHUBANESWAR: Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik escaped with minor bruises on Sunday when his car rammed into the pilot jeep of his motorcade at Tamando on the national highway, about 15km from here.

The accident occurred this afternoon when the pilot jeep hit a two- wheeler and the Chief Minister's car rammed against it in a portion of the highway which was under repair, DIG Yogesh Khurania said.

The front of the Chief Minister's car was smashed in the pile-up but the occupants of the car escaped.

Patnaik, accompanied by ruling BJD MP Prasanna Patsani and a party MLA, was on his way to Jatni in a private vehicle to address an election meeting ahead of panchayat polls next month, when the mishap occurred.

''I am all right. I suffered only a couple of bruises,'' the Chief Minister told reporters.

Patnaik cancelled his programme and visited the injured at the hospital and enquired about their condition.

Five persons, including three policemen in the pilot jeep and two persons on the bike, were also injured in the mishap.

The injured policemen included a sub-inspector and two constables. Four of the injured were shifted to the SCB Medical College Hospital at Cuttack.