India News | Woman Accused of Forcing Sick Tribal Icon to Dance Skips Meeting Official

Koraput (Odisha), Sep 6 (PTI) The social activist who allegedly forced Padma Sri awardee Kamala Pujari, a tribal icon of Odisha, to dance inside a hospital before being discharged did not turn up to record her statement before the sub-collector of Jeypore in Koraput district.

Instead, the accused Mamata Behera submitted a written response to the notice asking her to appear before the sub-collector, an official said.

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However, what she had written in her response is not known.

A similar notice was also served on Rajeev Hial, the attendant of Pujari. Appearing before the official, Hilal said he has no role in the entire episode.

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The August 29 incident came to light after a video, in which the 70-year-old woman was seen dancing in the ICU of a government hospital where she was admitted with kidney ailments, went viral.

Behera was also seen dancing with her. PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the footage.

“I never wanted to dance but was forced to do it. I repeatedly denied, but she (Behera) did not listen. I was sick and got tired,” Pujari later told television channels in Koraput district from where she hails.

Pujari, who was awarded the Padma Sri in 2019 for promoting organic farming and preserving over 100 varieties of indigenous seeds of different crops including paddy, was admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack with kidney problems.

The incident sparked a row with the Paraja tribe, to which Kamala belongs, and the Bhumia tribe, condemning the incident and demanding action against the culprit. Tribal outfits had threatened to hit the streets if no action was taken by the government on the issue.

Meanwhile, the hospital also investigated the matter and found that its employees including nurses and doctors were not involved in the incident. They even did not know about it till the video went viral.

The hospital's probe panel headed by the medicine department head, Prof Jayant Panda, observed in its report that Pujari was kept in a special cabin.

Behera allegedly introduced herself as Pujari's friend to the hospital staff in the presence of her and her attendants, and that is why she was allowed there, the report said.

Pujari had said she did not know Behera.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)