'Body on shoulder' issue: Oppn demands House Committee probe

Exactly a month since Dana Majhi walked 10 km with his wife's body on his shoulder in Kalahandi district, Odisha Assembly today witnessed uproarious scenes with opposition Congress and BJP demanding a House Committee probe into the incident.

The issue was raised by Congress Chief Whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati during Zero Hour when he strongly criticised state Health and Family Welfare Minister Atanu S Nayak's statement in the House yesterday.

"It is unfortunate that the minister said Majhi took away his wife's body without informing the hospital authorities at Bhawanipatna," Bahinipati said.

Alleging that the minister had "misled" the House by saying that Majhi "left the hospital against medical advice," Bahinipati said the entire episode should be thoroughly probed by the Assembly House Committee.
 

"The minister is saying that Majhi left the hospital on his own but I have information that it took him around two hours to wrap his wife's body in a cloth. The hospital could have given a hearse van for transporting his wife's body," the Congress leader said.

Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra, who had visited the hospital at Bhawanipatna, alleged that the Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) had "completely failed" in discharging his duty. "Majhi's wife was declared dead by the doctors at the TB ward. The hapless tribal man had also sought assistance from the hospital authorities," he said.

Stating that the right to dignity of a dead person had been violated by the authorities, Mishra said the incident had earned "shame and criticism" for the state.

"The state government is taking the incident lightly. The demand for a House Committee probe into the circumstances leading to Majhi carrying his wife's body is justified. A neutral inquiry into the incident could give justice to the tribal man," Mishra said.

BJP member Pradip Purohit demanded the Health Minister's resignation accusing him of "failing to give dignity to a dead body".

The Congress and BJP members sought a ruling from the Speaker for the formation of a House Committee to probe the incident. While BJP members shouted from their seats, Bahinipati was halfway towards the Well, demanding a ruling from the chair.