BERHAMPUR: A man in Kandhamal district reportedly set his house on fire under the influence of cannabis as he was ‘disturbed’ over a family property dispute. Pradip Nayak was so intoxicated that he could not recall the arson till a fellow villager showed him a video of his act which the latter had captured on his mobile phone. The incident took place in Sahajkhal on Saturday night but came to the fore on Monday as the village is located in a remote area near Ganjam-Kandhamal border.
Sources said after the fire broke out in the three-room thatched house of Pradip, fire services personnel from nearby Bhanjanagar reached the village and brought the blaze under control. However, the fire left the house with all articles damaged and it was suspected that the mishap occurred due to short circuit in power supply. Since Pradip’s house is at a far end of the village, the blaze could not spread to other houses.
After the mishap, Pradip became homeless and stayed under a temporary shelter with his wife and two kids. The local sarpanch and panchayat extension officer with revenue inspector also provided dry-food and polythene sheet, besides assuring to arrange financial aid.
However, after their departure, a youth of the village met Pradip and told him that he had captured the incident on his mobile phone which showed that the latter was behind the fire.The youth who did not want to expose himself showed a video clipping that revealed Pradip setting his own home on fire. After seeing the clipping, Pradip admitted to his misdeed.He acknowledged that he was disturbed due to a property dispute. On Saturday night, he smoked a good quantity of ganja. On a high, he asked his family to come out and set fire to his house.