A retired professor and his college teacher wife were found dead at their house at Ramakrushna Nagar, Berhampur today. Police recovered the bodies of Gopal Krushan Panigrahi (65), a retired professor in Berhampur University and his wife Kamala (61), also a retired lecturer with Khallikote Autonomous College, Berhampur from their residence. Police suspected the couple might have been murdered by a gang which came to loot the house where they were lived alone. While some of the household items were lying scattered, one of the almirahs was found open. The only daughter of the couple was staying in Bhubaneswar. Injury marks were seen on the head of Panigrahi, whose body was lying in the front room of the house while there was injury also on the body of his wife, which was found from the bedroom.

An illegal gun-making unit in Nuagada village under Angaragaon panchayat was unearthed by Kodala police on Wednesday night. One Koteswar Maharana alias Basant was arrested.

Police said two persons were running the unit in a house on the outskirts of the village for a long time, but none had any inkling of it. The matter came to light when a cashewnut trader came to the village inquiring about the unit and its owner.

Receiving information, police reached the village and raided the house. During interrogation, Maharana told the police that gun manufacturing in the unit was stopped a few days back as the person assisting him suffered from paralysis.

An excise official was seriously injured when a mob attacked a joint team of excise and police personnel on their return journey after conducting raids on illegal liquor manufacturing units in Khallikote area of Ganjam district on Wednesday.

Excise Superintendent B N Dhal sustained head injuries when his vehicle wa sattacked with iron rods and stones by the mob at Sourapalli, police said.

He was admitted to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital here, police said adding that a police jeep was also damaged.

During raids, huge quantities of country-made liquor were seized.

Doubts were raised over the safety of three other molasses-stocked tanks in Aska Cooperative Sugar Industries at Nuagaon in Ganjam district on Tuesday, after one such tank developed a crack killing three persons when molasses entered into two staff quarters on Sunday night.

“We can’t rule out a repeat of such mishap if the factory authorities fail to take immediate safety measures for the 40-year-old tanks,” said Lalit Mohan Das, vice-president of Sugar Industries Labour Union. There are currently four tanks with a capacity of 3,000 metric tons each in the factory to stock molasses produced after processing sugarcane. Around 7,000 metric tons of molasses are stocked in the tanks at present.

Das said he had raised doubts over the safety of the tanks last year and sought clarification from the factory authorities through Right to Information Act. The factory authorities had said then the tanks were absolutely safe.

Non-maintenance of the tanks for the past several years by factory authorities was the main cause of the recent mishap, said another trade union leader Narayan Jena. Union leaders demanded to take immediate safety measures for the old tanks.

District collector Krishan Kumar, also chairman of the managing committee of the factory, said the incident was an accident. He, however, promised to inquire into it to ascertain the exact cause behind the mishap.

“We will take a decision regarding safety measures of the tanks after getting reports from the director of the factory boilers,” Kumar said. “We are planning to sell some of the molasses after taking permission from the government,” said managing director of the factory, B K Sahu.

The collector said their prime work was to start operation of the factory. While around 1,000 tons of sugarcane are lying on the factory premises without being processed, around 4,000 tons are lying in the field as processing was stopped after the mishap.

Ganjam district sugarcane growers association demanded compensation for the farmers, who have already cut the sugarcane to supply to the factory. “The sugarcane lying in the field and factory will dry up if not processed immediately. The factory authorities should compensate the farmers for their loss,” said general secretary of the association, Samir Pradhan.

The factory started its operation from December 22 last and aimed to crush around 1.60 lakh MT of sugarcane, out of which around 57,800 MT have been crushed so far.

Driven by abject poverty and unbearable pain, a bed-ridden woman in Odisha’s Ganjam district has appealed for euthanasia.

Jhunu Behera (38), a resident of K Barida village and a mother of four children, sought permission from the President and Odisha governor for euthanasia.

“Instead of causing trouble to other members of my family, I want to die,” she said in her a letter sent recently to the President.

“At least Rs 5 lakh is required to replace the valves of her heart, which were damaged. It’s impossible to arrange such a huge amount for the family as her husband is a daily labourer,” Abhiram Pradhan, brother of the patient, said.

“She dashed off the letters on October 28 last to the President and Governor seeking permission to die” Pradhan said. Even though the Governor and President’s office acknowledged receipt of the letters,there was no reply,he said.

The problem was diagnosed about three years ago, when she was admitted at MKCG Medical College and Hospital here. She also had check-ups in some private hospitals of Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar. The doctors advised replacement of the heart valves for which a huge amount is required.

“By mortgaging the house, I have treated her so far. We have no other resources.

Moreover, she is suffering from severe pain”, Surendra Behera, the patient’s husband, said.

Their elder son, aged 15 years, dropped out of school to work as a daily labourer. Other three children, including two daughters, are studying in school with financial help of their uncle.

Pradhan said they had applied for financial assistance from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. The application was missing, he said.