Mock funeral by opposition in Odisha assembly after 12 die in Cuttack hospital fire

Bhubaneswar, Mar 18 (PTI) Members of the opposition BJD and Congress created a ruckus in the Odisha assembly on Wednesday, demanding Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling's resignation over the death of 12 patients in a fire at the state-run hospital in Cuttack two days ago.

The members of the opposition bench trooped into the Well of the House before Speaker Surama Padhy took her seat for the Question Hour.

They carried a symbolic “body” wrapped with white cloth into the House and placed it on the reporters' table, and shouted slogans like 'Mohan Majhi hai hai'. Several MLAs displayed placards, demanding the resignation of the health minister.

The Speaker appealed to agitating members to maintain calm in the House.

Unable to run the House, Padhy adjourned the proceedings till 11.30 am. When the House reassembled, a similar scene was witnessed.

Several treasury bench members, comprising Babu Singh, Santosh Khatua, Manas Dutta and others, came down heavily on the opposition and alleged that the BJD and Congress were politicising a tragic incident for which the government has taken immediate measures.

As the protest continued, the Speaker again adjourned the proceedings till 4 pm.

When the House remained adjourned, BJD lawmakers, most of them clad in white clothes, were seen participating in a mock funeral procession on the assembly premises. They carried a bier and other items used in performing the last rites of a deceased according to Hindu rituals.

Senior BJD members, like Ranendra Pratap Swain and Arun Kumar Sahoo, were seen shouting 'Ram nam satya hai', traditionally chanted during funeral processions, and alleged that the "health department has collapsed" in Odisha.

“This kind of procession on the assembly premises is not acceptable. The state government has been taking steps in the hospital fire incident. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi visited the hospital and ordered a judicial inquiry,” BJP legislator Ashok Mohanty said.

Expressing concern over the death of 12 patients in the state-run hospital, Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik said, "During the BJD regime, there was a fire at a private hospital, and the then health minister resigned. Now, several patients have died in the hospital fire. But the government did not take any steps to make the health minister resign. It is shocking." The administration must take steps for the improvement of the health sector and hospitals across the state, he said.

The fire at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack has sparked outrage across the state. The opposition parties and family members of deceased persons have been demanding a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to the fire. PTI

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