Majhi case: Oppn sharpens attack on Odisha govt

Amid nationwide outrage over a tribal man carrying his wife’s body on shoulder for 10 km in Kalahandi, the opposition on Sunday sharpened attack on the Odisha government as Congress launched a ‘Padyatra’ and a BJP fact-finding team visited the district.

Slamming the BJD government for negligence in providing a hearse for transporting Dana Majhi’s wife Amang Dei’s body from the district headquarter hospital at Bhawanipatna to his village on Wednesday, Congress and BJP leaders made a beeline to the district and alleged collapse of health services. Dubbing the Naveen Patnaik government as ‘anti-tribal’, Congress workers took out a ‘Padyatra’ from Melghar, Dana Majhi’s village, to Bhawanipatna.

The 60-km rally, led by senior leader and former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das, is scheduled to reach Bhawanipatna on Monday after a non-stop march. Congress activists have also planned to gherao the District Collector’s office on Monday, party leaders said. The rally was launched a day after a six-member fact-finding team of the party visited Majhi’s village. They met Majhi and his 12-year-old daughter, besides other villagers.

Terming the incident as ‘inhuman’, Das who hails from Kalahandi, said, “It has exposed the anti-tribal attitude of the BJD government.” Not happy with the probe conducted into the incident, Congress leaders demanded a high-level inquiry into the whole episode and compensation of Rs 10 lakh for Majhi’s family.