A four-year-old boy died in Rourkela after an old government project display board collapsed on him and another minor, prompting a police investigation and an administrative probe into the structure’s condition and ownership.
The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon near a house in Ataghat village under Hatibandh panchayat and within the limits of Lathikata police station. The deceased was identified as Ayusman Munda. A 14-year-old boy who was also injured in the collapse received treatment.
According to the report, the two boys were playing near the house when the cement display board gave way. Ayusman’s grandmother and other family members reached the spot after hearing the children’s screams and found both boys injured. Ayusman, who had suffered critical injuries, was taken to Rourkela Government Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.
Ayusman’s parents, who work in Bengaluru, had left him in the care of his uncle. They were informed about the incident and travelled to the village on Thursday. Following an inquest and postmortem, the child’s body was kept in the morgue until their arrival and handed over to the family on Friday.
The collapse has brought attention to the condition of public display structures that remain in residential and village areas after the projects they promote or identify have been completed. Family members and villagers questioned why the board, described as old and dilapidated, had not been removed before the incident.
Police said their preliminary inquiry indicated that the board had been installed around six years ago. The name of the government work mentioned on it was no longer visible, leaving the department or project responsible for the structure to be established. Lathikata police have registered an unnatural death case and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the collapse.
“After registering an unnatural death case, we are investigating the case,” Rameswar Singh, inspector-in-charge of Lathikata police station, said.
The local administration also began examining the board’s origins and condition. Lathikata block development officer Manas Kumar Sahoo said he learnt about the incident on Friday and directed the Hatibandh panchayat executive officer to visit the location.
“I have directed the PEO of Hatibandh panchayat to visit the spot and update me about the display board, including the work and department for which it had been installed,” Sahoo said.
The inspection is expected to establish which government work and department were associated with the board, and whether responsibility for its maintenance or removal had been assigned. The police investigation and the panchayat-level report remain the next official steps in the case.
