Centre seeks report from Odisha government on Dana Majhi incident

In a move which has caused further embarrassment to the state government, the Centre has sought a report from it on the Dana Majhi incident.
Failing to hire a mortuary vehicle Dana Majhi walks around 10 km fromhospital with his wife's corpse.
Failing to hire a mortuary vehicle Dana Majhi walks around 10 km fromhospital with his wife's corpse.

BHUBANESWAR: In a move which has caused further embarrassment to the state government, the Centre has sought a report from it on the Dana Majhi incident.

In its query, the Centre is reported to have asked the State Government under what circumstances the tribal from Melghar village in Kalahandi district had to walk 12 kilometers carrying the dead body of his wife on his shoulders from the Bhawanipatna district headquarters hospital.

Former minister and BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb told mediapersons that the state government will submit the report on the incident to the Centre soon. “The letter from the Centre has which reached the state government on Thursday has asked why and how the incident happened and what steps the state government has taken," Deb said.

Describing the incident as unfortunate, Deb said such incidents should not take place. "But the incident which sparked national and international outrage has not only painted a poor picture of Odisha, it has reflected very badly on the country's international image," he said.

The former minister said the incident has also dented the image of prime minister Narendra Modi who is busy with big prgrammes like 'Make In India' and 'Digital India'. He, however, said the district administration which was asked to inquire into the incident has already submitted its report. The report will be submitted to the Centre soon.

The Odisha State Human Rights Commission has already asked the state government to submit a report within four weeks taking a suo motu cognisance of the incident. A day after the incident, an inquiry was ordered by the district collector to ascertain the events leading to the incident.

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