Odisha: Woman forces Kamala Pujari to dance in hospital; tribal group demands action
PremiumA woman social worker allegedly forced sick Padma Shri awardee and tribal icon Kamala Pujari to dance after getting discharged from hospital
One more tribal group in the Cuttack district of Odisha has demanded action against a woman social worker for allegedly forcing tribal icon and Padma Sri awardee Kamala Pujari to dance as she was being discharged from the hospital. The Bhumia tribe also condemned the incident a day after the Paraja tribal community to which Pujari belongs asked for strong action against the woman social worker.
The video of the incident went viral followed by a public outcry, after which the SCB Medical College and hospital constituted a committee under Prof. Jayant Panda (head of medicine) to probe the incident. The committee also includes the registrar of the medical college, Abhinash Rout and will submit the report to the superintendent.
"We have already recorded statements of doctors, nurses on duty, attendants, hospital security and others. Two more people will be interrogated and we will submit a report on Saturday", Panda told PTI.
The accused was known to be the lady attendant of Pujari and was accompanying her from Jeypore. "The hospital staff allowed her (the social worker) entry because she had come along with Pujari during the admission time," Panda said.
Bhumia tribal society leader Narendra Kandolia asserted that the entire tribal population of the state condemns this incident and they have submitted a memorandum to the government through Sub-Collector Jeypore.
"Padma Sri Kamala Pujari is the pride of tribals and an icon for all of us. The way she was forced to dance inside the ICU is unfortunate and we strongly condemn it. We demand before the state government to inquire into the whole incident at the highest level and to take appropriate action at the earliest," Kandolia, a Bhumia leader, told PTI.
Pujari affirmed on the local television channel that she was forced to dance by the social worker despite being sick and tired. The social worker identified as Mamata Behera is also seen dancing with her in the video.
"I never wanted to dance but was forced to do it. I repeatedly denied it, but she (Behera) did not listen. I was sick and got tired," Pujari told television channels in the Koraput district from where she hails.
Rajeeb Hial, Pujari's attendant also claimed that she does not know Behera and she also clicked several selfies with the Padma awardee.
The tribal leader was admitted to the district hospital after she complained of fever and loose motion. On 24 August as her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to SCB medical college and hospital at Cuttack. As she recovered from her illness, she was discharged on Monday and she reached home on Tuesday.
Pujari was awarded Padma Sri in 2019 for her promotion of organic farming and for preserving 100 varieties of indigenous seeds for various crops including paddy.
The hospital authorities claimed that she was admitted in a special cabin and not in the ICU.
Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik wished her a speedy recovery and a special team of doctors was ensuring her proper treatment.
Mamata Behera stated that she had no bad intention on her part and she just wanted to “shun Pujari’s laziness".
Kamala Pujari belongs to the Paraja Community, a major Scheduled Tribe of Odisha comprising 4% of the state's tribal population. The total tribal population of the state is 22.5%.
(With Inputs from PTI)
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