KENDRAPARA: In a tragic incident, a dalit man was forced to carry his eight-year-old daughter's body on a bike from a hospital to his village in Odisha's Kendrapara district on Tuesday.
Baisakhi, the daughter of Sunakar Kandi of Chhachina village in Derabish block, around 75 km from Bhubaneswar, was bitten by a snake on Monday night.
She later died in hospital.
With a Mahaprayan van remaining out of bounds, the girl's father and uncle were forced to carry the body from the district headquarters hospital in Kendrapara to his village, a distance of around 20 km, on a bike.
The incident occurred even after the introduction of Mahaprayan' scheme in 2016 by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for providing free vehicles to carry bodies of the deceased from hospitals.
"I pleaded. But the hospital authorities did not pay any heed," bemoaned Kandi, a daily wage earner.
Chief District Medical Officer Anita Patnaik said the matter is being inquired into.
"The Additional District Medical Officer has been asked to submit a detailed report about the incident. If found true, strict action will be initiated," the official said.
The 'Mahaprayan' scheme was launched in Odisha soon after a man named Dana Majhi had to walk 10 km with his wife's body in Kalahandi.