Judicial probe into liquor tragedy in Odisha begins

Judicial probe into the recent hooch tragedy that struck several villages in Cuttack and Khurda districts of Odisha has started even as the death toll in it mounted to 35, official sources said on Sunday.

The toll increased when Kailash Chandra Bhoi(40) of Cuttack Sadar, who under treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital, died in the early hours of Saturday, its emergency officer BN Maharana said.

The judicial probe, ordered by the state government, began during the day with Justice AS Naidu, a former judge of Orissa High Court who is also heading the one-man judicial commission into the Rourkela police-judicial officer scuffle, visiting SCB Hospital and holding discussions with the superintendent and doctors attending the liquor tragedy victims.

“Documents relating to the treatment and post mortem reports of the deceased were perused. Soon there will be notifications for inviting affidavits in the matter,” Naidu said.

Cuttack collector Girish SN and city DCP S Praveen Kumar were also present during Naidu’s visit to the hospital, which has released over 80 people admitted with symptoms of sickness after drinking the spurious liquor earlier this month.