BHUBANESWAR: Not far from the State Assembly premises and in presence of a posse of policemen at Lower PMG Square, a youth allegedly consumed poison and slit his wrist to highlight what he described negligence in treatment by authorities of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack here on Wednesday. He died soon after.
The 30-year-old victim, who belonged to Kujang in Jagatsinghpur district, was rushed first to Capital Hospital before being shifted to SCB where he succumbed after his admission, informed DCP Umashankar Dash. Ahead of being shifted to the hospital, the injured even spoke to mediapersons but the policemen present at Lower PMG Square failed to notice as they were apparently busy controlling the BJP protest. By the time he caught attention, his condition had deteriorated.
After he met with a road accident, the youth said, the Department of Health and Family Welfare had asked him to undergo treatment at SCB Medical College. “I was harassed in SCB while undergoing treatment and the doctors did not provide me with medicines. I was forced to write letters to the Chief Minister, Governor and Department of Health’s Secretary in this regard but to no avail. They then deliberately discharged me,” he alleged.
According to the papers he was carrying, the victim reportedly met with an accident on March 22, 2020 and sustained serious injuries on his left leg. He was admitted to SCB and underwent a surgery on March 23, 2020.
Youth dies aafter slitting wrist, drinking poison near Assembly
Later, he underwent another operation on June 19 last year. However, the doctors allegedly discharged him from the hospital on July 15, 2020 owing to the Covid-19 situation, he said. The incident came as a huge embarrassment to the State Police which has placed a three-tier security for the Assembly session. Top police officers have been camping at the site and about 35 platoons of police force and over 100 officers, Quick Reaction Team and Striking Force personnel are deployed to avoid any untoward incident.
Besides, police have imposed Section 144 of CrPC around the Assembly and not allowing movement of general public on the roads in front of the Secretariat and the Assembly. Personnel in plain clothes have also been deployed to collect intelligence but everyone was caught unaware when the youth took the extreme step. After the incident, Kujang BDO rushed to the house of the deceased and met his family members. He also gave Rs1 lakh compensation to his family members. A series of attempted suicide incidents had also troubled the police during the winter session last year.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)