BHUBANESWAR: IN a unique display of humanity, a middle-aged man from a minority community provided medical services to injured youths from Hindu community at a time when Soro town in Balasore district was on the boil over communal tension.
Sk Sauqat, a sweeper at the Soro Community Health Centre (CHC), cleaned the wounds of the youths and applied bandage besides remaining present till they are discharged.
The youths were injured during the group clash that took place in Pathan Mahalla during immersion of Ganesh idols. While members of both the communities were conspiring against each other, Sauqat was busy discharging his duty for the mankind.
“The youths were crying in pain when they arrived at the hospital. I cleaned their wounds and covered those with bandage after nurse applied medicines,” he said.
On the strife, Sauqat said people from both the communities live peacefully in the town. Some mischief mongers flared up the small incident, he added. Normally, Soro is a peaceful town and people here extend cooperation to each other, Sauqat added.
Doctors of the CHC also donned role of Samaritans for the patients and their attendants who were stuck up without food due to promulgation of prohibitory orders and curfew. A team of four doctors led by Dr Dhiresh Kumar Sarangi spent from their own pocket and provided cooked food to at least 200 persons daily for the last four days.
“The patients and their attendants were helpless since all hotels were closed as Section 144 of CrPc was clamped in the town. Even vegetables were also not available, we managed to collect dal, some vegetables and rice to provide them cooked food,” said Dr Sarangi.
Other doctors who extended a helping hand are Dr Satyanarayan Nayak, Dr Hemanta Roul and Dr Gauranga Singh. With the situation in Soro improving and no untoward incident reported since last 24 hours, the contribution of the hospital doctors and Sauqat is hailed by all and sundry.
Meanwhile, the locals residents, who were forced to remain indoors due to prohibitory orders, came out and purchased essential commodities and vegetable which were made available after four days. People alleged that the traders were raking in the moolah as very few shops were opened and commodities were insufficient. Some were seen selling potato and onion at ` 40-a-kilo while the price of other vegetables were very high compared to other markets in the district. Fishes and chickens were sold like hot cakes.
A district official said only a few truck loads of potato, vegetables and fishes reached Soro on Wednesday. The price was high since the supply was less but it will come down in a day or two, he added.