BHUBANESWAR: Opposition Congress demanded a house committee to probe into the Dana Majhi incident in which the poor tribal from Melghar in Kalahandi district had to carry the body of his wife on his shoulders as the hospital authorities at Bhawanipatna refused to provide him a vehicle.
Criticising the state government in the assembly on Saturday for taking the issue very lightly, leader of the Opposition Narasingh Mishra said that the chief district medical officer (CDMO) of the district headquarters hospital (DHH) failed to discharge his duty in the case.
The leader of the opposition said the health minister could have in his reply said that the inquiry into the incident is on. But he gave his reply in a very casual manner basing on a preliminary report of the inquiry into the incident, Mishra said.
Mishra, who had visited the DHH at Bhawanipatna soon after the incident occurred on August 23, said as per inquiries made by him, Dana Majhi wanted a vehicle to carry the body of his wife but he did not get it. Alleging that the dignity of Dana Majhi's dead wife has been violated, Mishra said it is a shame for Odisha.
He demanded that a house committee should be constituted for an impartial inquiry into the incident. Raising the issue during the zero hour, Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati said Odisha was portrayed in a poor light all over the world because of the Dana Majhi incident. Criticising the health minister his reply on the incident, Bahinipati wanted to know how nobody in the hospital could not about the incident in the night. It would have taken at least two hours for Dana Majhi to tie the body in a blanket to carry it, he said.
Describing the statement of the minister as unfortunate, Bahinipati demanded that a house committee should be constituted to probe into the incident by visiting Dana Majhi's village and the DHH at Bhawanipatna.
Describing the Dana Majhi incident as very unfortunate, minister of state for health and family welfare Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said his reply was based on a preliminary report. Inquiry into the incident is going on and strong action will be taken against those found guilty, he said.