Bhubaneswar, Sep 10: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Odisha Chief Secretary, the District Magistrate, and the Superintendent of Police of Ganjam over the recent spurious liquor tragedy.
The NHRC has sought an action taken report within six weeks.
This action follows a petition from human rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy, who requested urgent intervention regarding the incident that occurred on August 20. According to Tripathy, the tragedy resulted in two deaths and hospitalized 14 others after they consumed toxic alcohol in Ganjam district.
Tripathy reported that at least 20 individuals from the Chikiti area were admitted to various hospitals in Ganjam after ingesting illicit liquor sold near Moundpur. He criticized the state government for lacking a policy to provide compensation to the families of the deceased and for not having a standard operating procedure (SOP) to handle issues related to spurious or illicit alcohol.
The petitioner also claimed that no action has been taken against the police and excise officials responsible for the oversight. Tripathy has called on the NHRC to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, implement stringent measures to monitor the sale and purchase of spurious liquor, take legal action against the negligent officials, and provide substantial compensation to the families of the victims.
