Farmer gets entangled in running tractor, dies

Kendrapada: A 64-year-old farmer was killed after getting entangled in the rotor and blades of a tractor at Krushnanagar village under Bari–Ramachandrapur police station limits in Jajpur district on Monday.

The victim was identified as Kartik Chandra Tripathy. The accident took place when a tractor was ploughing his field and Tripathy, who was walking behind the vehicle, was caught in the rotating parts during cultivation. By the time the driver noticed the accident and stopped the tractor, he died.

“The body has been sent for a postmortem,” Hemalata Das, the inspector in-charge of Bari–Ramachandrapur police station, said.

Officials attributed such incidents to unsafe practices during farm mechanisation. “Human error and improper handling of machines are key causes of such accidents. Farmers should avoid wearing loose clothes like dhotis, towels and lungis while working near machinery and must not attempt adjustments when equipment is running,” chief district agriculture officer Suresh Chandra Mallick said.