Bhubaneswar

Two school teachers engaged in Census work died in separate incidents in Odisha over two days, allegedly due to sunstroke, officials said on Monday.

The incidents were reported from Mayurbhanj district and Sundargarh district, where temperatures have crossed 37 degrees Celsius. This is the third reported death involving Census personnel in the state.

In Mayurbhanj, Rajkapur Hembram, a teacher at Baidyanath High School, died on Sunday evening while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Baripada.

According to his nephew Laxmikant Hembram, he became unconscious after returning from a door-to-door Census survey.

School headmistress Mamata Das said Hembram complained of discomfort after returning from Census duty and later died in hospital. She said he had been assigned three villages for enumeration.

Family members alleged he had informed colleagues earlier about pressure from authorities to continue Census work despite being unwell.

In Sundargarh, Anurag Ekka, a teacher at Jarada Government High School, reportedly fell ill during Census work on Saturday and died the same day. He was first taken to the Gurundia community health centre and later shifted to the district headquarters hospital when his condition worsened.

Officials at the Special Relief Commissioner's Office said district collectors concerned were examining the incidents and the exact causes of death would be known after official reports.

Earlier, an enumerator in Sonepur district had allegedly died of a heart attack after returning from Census duty, according to an official communication dated April 21.

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The state government has already issued a Standard Operating Procedure for Census staff working in hot and humid conditions. Officials have been barred from field exposure between 11 am and 3 pm and advised to stay hydrated and carry Oral Rehydration Solution during fieldwork.