JAGATSINGHPUR: A 42-year-old man and his uncle died after allegedly consuming pesticide, mistaking it for water, at Sirasata village in Jagatsinghpur’s Tirtol area on Tuesday night.
The deceased were identified as Bibhuti Samal, a betel shop owner and his uncle, 75-year-old Gopinath Samal. The uncle-nephew duo consumed alcohol together in the evening. The duo was to attend a meeting but had to return home as they felt uneasy due to excess drinking.
Police said, later in the night Gopinath went to Bibhuti’s house and since both were thirsty, they drank from a bottle kept nearby mistaking it for water, unaware that it was pesticide meant for mushroom crops. Bibhuti apparently had kept the pesticide in the bottle but had forgotten about it.
Shortly after consuming the liquid, the duo complained of severe stomach ache and uneasiness following which their families rushed them to Pattamundai Community Health Centre.
As their condition deteriorated, they were shifted to the Kendrapara district headquarters hospital (DHH) where doctors declared them dead on arrival, police said.
Gopinath’s son Nutan later lodged an FIR with Kendrapada Sadar police in this connection following which an unnatural death case was registered and the bodies sent for postmortem.
Jagatsinghpur SP Bhabani Shankar Udgata said Tirtol police too, are investigating the case. “Kendrapara Sadar police registered the UD case as the deaths occurred at Kendrapara DHH. As per preliminary investigation, the victims consumed pesticide from a bottle mistaking it for water. The bottle has been seized for forensic analysis. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact cause of their death,” he added.
Meanwhile, locals alleged the uncle-nephew duo died due to consumption of spurious liquor. They complained that illicit liquor was being sold openly in their locality and urged police to crack down on the illegal trade.
Sarpanch of Samantrapur panchayat, Madhusmita Behera said claims of death of the uncle-nephew duo due to consumption of pesticide are baseless as no mushroom cultivation takes place in the panchayat. “The duo drank regularly. Their deaths are suspicious and the case needs thorough investigation,” she added.