Guard of honour for 12-yr-old organ donor in Odisha's Keonjhar

Keonjhar: A 12-year-old boy from Keonjhar district, whose family members donated his heart and kidneys after he succumbed to injuries sustained in a road accident on Feb 14, was accorded a guard of honour before his cremation with state honours on Friday evening.Shubham Aich, son of Upendra Aich of Jamira village in Hatadihi block, died during treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. He was staying with his uncle, Babaji Behera, in Ana village and was studying in Class VII at the local primary school. On Feb 14, he was travelling to Puri with his uncle’s family when he was hit by a jeep near Swargadwar. He suffered critical injuries and was shifted to the Bhubaneswar hospital, where he passed away a few days later.His parents, Upendra and Mitarani, later consented to donate his organs to help patients in need. Following the organ retrieval procedure, his body was brought back to his native village on Friday evening.A procession was carried out from Marigaon chowk to Jamira ground, where officials organised a ceremonial guard of honour. Thousands of villagers, police personnel and local dignitaries paid tributes. “We are proud of the noble act. He will always be remembered for his organ donation,” said Subhakanta Nayak, a resident of Hatadihi.