A seven-member delegation of the BJP headed by senior party leader Biswabhusan Harichandan on Wednesday met Governor SC Jamir and submitted a memorandum to him in regard to the hooch tragedy of Borigaon village in the Banpur area in Khurda district that occurred on August 12.
Two persons lost their lives and scores of others were admitted to different hospitals after consuming spurious liquor. Some of the affected persons have lost their eyesights and others are still in hospitals. The memorandum alleged that the role of local BJD MlA Raghunath Sahoo, who is a liquor baron of the district and runs the trade of country liquor, is instrumental in suppressing the whole incident of the tragedy.
“The MlA has a network of shops in the district and controls the entire liquor trade. After the incident, the MlA and his goons had threatened the locals asking them not to come forward and speak out on the issue. The local residents were also threatened against lodging FIRs and the local police too are hands in glove with the MlA and his liquor Mafiosi,” Harichandan said.
“We had toured the area earlier and spoken to the affected villagers. And only after our intervention, the emboldened villagers lodged FIRs,” said Harchandan. The delegation implored the Governor to direct the State Government to appoint a commission of inquiry headed by a retired High Court Judge for probing into the involvement of politicians, including the MlA, and Government officers in the hooch tragedy.
“The affected families should be given due compensation and the flawed liquor policy of the State and the callous manner in which such tragedies are being dealt with should be closely examined and the nexus of the BJD politicians, officials and the liquor mafia exposed,” said Harichandan.