Odisha: 'Alcoholic' man dies hours after father ties him to pole under scorching sun

BHUBANESWAR: A 40-year-old man died after being allegedly tied to a pole in scorching afternoon heat by his father in front of their house at Ghatagaon in Keonjhar district. Sumanta Nayak of Sanamasinabila village was reportedly an alcoholic.

On June 11, the unemployed man had thrashed his mother in an inebriated state. Enraged over Sumanta's frequent attacks on family members, his 70-year-old father Panua Nayak tied him to a pole near his food stall on NH-20 the same day at about 2 pm.

Sumanta, who was even drunk then, was left in the sun till about 4 pm. After two hours, Panua untied Sumanta, took him to their house and offered him food. However, Panua reportedly refused his son's pleas for giving him water.

Panua left with his wife to consult a doctor and when the couple returned at about 7 pm, they found Sumanta lying unconscious. They rushed him to a hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.

Sumanta is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. He also used to beat up his wife for which she started living separately with their children.After the incident, the local panchayat samiti member lodged a complaint in Ghatagaon police station and a case was registered under Section 302 of the IPC.

The police said initial investigation suggests that Sumanta died of heart attack and not due to heatstroke, but the exact cause behind his death can be ascertained after receiving his postmortem report. "We are verifying if anyone assisted Panua to tie his son to the pole. Investigation is continuing and further action will be initiated accordingly," said Ghatagaon police station in-charge, DSP Subhrat Kumar.