The BJP on Thursday staged a road blockade at Mantripatana on the Cuttack-Paradip State Highway demanding compensation of Rs 50 lakh and a job for the kin of deceased Dushmanta Das who died while taking suicide attempt before the State Assembly.
While BJP leaders from Paradip Sampad Swain and former MP Bibhuprasad Tarai led the agitation, they were joined by State leaders Manmohan Samal, Surama Padhy, and Ramaranjan Baliarsingh. They alleged that due to medical negligence, Das died. Moreover, the BJP leaders expressed unhappiness over the conduct of police and district administration for doing the postmortem soon after Das’s death that occurred in SCB Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday night and later performing his last rites at Swarga Dwar in Puri on Thursday wee hours.
“When the family members were waiting for Das’s body at their village on Thursday morning for conducting last rites, they were shocked to know that the cremation had taken place in Puri. Kujanga BDO Amiya Kumar Panda on Wednesday night visited Badapala village and handed over a cheque of Rs 1 lakh to Das’s deceased wife Elina Das. So the act of the administration raises doubt over attempt to hush up the matter,” charged Swain. The Kujanga Tehsildar held a discussion with the agitators and assured to fulfil the demands raised by them. Subsequently, the road blockade was lifted.