In Odisha, two schoolteachers engaged in census duty have reportedly died from suspected sunstroke in the past two days, coinciding with a heatwave affecting the region. The Special Relief Commissioner’s office has stated that it has not received any reports of sunstroke fatalities in the state.
Rajkumar Hembram, a teacher at Baidyanath High School in Mayurbhanj district, passed away on Sunday, while Anurag Ekka, an assistant teacher at Jarada government high school in Sundargarh district, died a day earlier.
Laxmikant, Rajkumar’s nephew, mentioned that his uncle fell ill after returning from census work and was sweating profusely. He was taken to a hospital in Baripada, where he was pronounced dead. “He did not want to take up census duty, but he feared action from the authorities,” Laxmikant stated, noting that Rajkumar had been assigned to enumerate three villages.
Purna Chandra Sethi, the Mayurbhanj district education officer, indicated that an inquiry would determine the cause of Rajkumar’s death. He noted that the census is being conducted digitally and that Rajkumar had last recorded data on April 22, with no entries made from April 23-26. Sethi also mentioned that the deceased had a history of high blood pressure.
In Sundargarh district, Anurag fell ill while performing census duties on Saturday and was initially taken to a nearby healthcare center before being transferred to the district hospital, where he died the same day. A senior official confirmed that Anurag had been removed from census duty after reports of his health issues.
Approximately one lakh enumerators, primarily school teachers, along with around 17,000 supervisors, are participating in the house listing survey, which marks the first phase of the census. Previously, another enumerator died of suspected cardiac arrest after returning from work in Sonepur district.
The Odisha government has issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) for census officials to ensure their safety amid rising temperatures. This SOP advises against field visits or work between 11 am and 3 pm. Additionally, the Revenue and Disaster Management Department has instructed district authorities to implement precautions to prevent dehydration and heat-related illnesses, including providing oral rehydration solutions (ORS) to enumerators.
According to an IMD bulletin released on Monday, heatwave conditions are expected to persist in isolated areas of Jharsuguda, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Boudh, Nayagarh, and Sonepur districts, with several regions, particularly in western Odisha, recording temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in recent days.
