BERHAMPUR: Even as a number of criminal cases were reported in Ganjam district this year, the local police succeeded in arresting many dreaded criminals from different parts of the district.
Apparently, around 17 incidents of exchange of fire between police and criminals took place in the last 12 months. Recently, dreaded criminal Syam Sundar Gouda Cheru of Lathi village sustained bullet injury on his right leg during an exchange of fire with Digapahandi police recently.
Cheru was involved in eight criminal cases and was wanted in two cases under Sadar police limits. Another criminal, Sana Jagga was nabbed by Bhanjanagar police after an exchange of fire in Ganjam district. Jagga is involved in more than 13 cases of dacoity, loot and attempt to murder under different police stations.
He had created terror in Bhanjanagar and bordering Kandhamal district by committing dacoities along with his aides.
In July, after a chase of more than five months, Berhampur police arrested Siba Sankar Das alias Pintu, a BJP leader and the first mayor of Berhampur Municipal Corporation, who was wanted in several criminal cases. He was arrested in New Delhi. At least 25 criminal cases were filed against former MLA Ramesh Jena, who was nabbed from Bhubaneswar.
In December, four picnickers aged between 18 and 20 drowned, when a boat carrying them capsized in the Chilika lake. The boat, which had a maximum capacity to carry 10-12 passengers, carried more people on it. The same month, a seven-year-old boy died after being administered a wrong injection in Bikrampur village under Khallikote police limits.
He was Aditya Barad, who was residing in the village with his grandparents as his parents are employed outside the State. A boil had appeared in his leg as a result of which, he could not walk properly. His grandmother took him to an auxiliary nursing midwife (ANM) in the village instead of taking him to a doctor. However, the ANM, Manorama Bindhani, had left for Balasore and her son Swagat (23) enquired about the ailment. He then offered to administer an injection on Aditya to which, the latter’s grandmother agreed. Within minutes of administering the injection, Aditya died.
In another incident of medical negligence, a child of Gajalbadi, who was suffering from thalassaemia, was diagnosed with HIV after continuous transfusion of infected blood.
Although Government launched the ‘Mahaprayana’ scheme to facilitate transport of dead body from hospital to home, family members of a deceased woman had to carry her body on their shoulders in Kabisuryanagar.
Sunya Das (21) of Sekharpur Harijan Street was undergoing treatment for TB in Kabisuryanagar hospital and died on Monday. Since their home is a couple of miles away from the hospital, Sunya’s parents requested the hospital authorities for a vehicle under ‘Mahaprayana’ scheme which was launched in August. But the hospital authorities failed to provide the vehicle. Later, Sunya’s brothers and father carried the body on their shoulders to their house.
Dengue raised its ugly head in the middle of the year. As many as 86 dengue positive cases came to the fore of which, 60 were reported from Girisola block alone. Two persons died of the disease. The year had begun on a positive note with the inauguration of IISER.