BHUBANESWAR: Opposition Congress on Saturday 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 for taking the issue very lightly, Leader of the Opposition Narasingh Mishra said the CDMO of the District Headquarters Hospital failed to discharge his duty in the case.
Mishra said the Health Minister could have in his reply said 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, he added
Mishra, who had visited the DHH 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 Taraprasad Bahinipati said Odisha was portrayed in a poor light all over the world because of the Dana Majhi incident. Criticising the Health Minister for his reply on the incident, Bahinipati wanted to know how nobody in the hospital could not know 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 Dana Majhi incident as very unfortunate, Health Minister 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 added.