Tihidi: Months after the hooch tragedy in Doulatpur that claimed the lives of 10 people, Pragatishila Mahila Manch, a leading women’s organisation in Bhadrak, lambasted the three major political parties of the state for the incident.
Addressing a press meet here Saturday, secretary of the outfit Tunilata Jena, members Manjulata Jena, Bayani Jena, Mitu Hati and Shantilata Das alleged that many leaders of the BJD, the BJP and the Congress had distributed liquor during the recent elections.
The women’s outfit demanded registration of cases and action against those leaders who had distributed liquor.
The women activists asserted that leaders of these parties had distributed liquor at midnight to grab votes. This led to the tragedy, they said. To save their skin before the public, parties are publicly blaming each other, the activists said.
“The BJP is accusing the BJD in a bid to exercise its influence while the Congress has remained silent,” the outfit noted, adding the police and the excise departments are sitting pretty without probing the tragedy.
Despite this tragedy, bootlegging and drug peddling are still going on in many pockets of Bhadrak, the outfit lamented. Its
members demanded Rs 10 lakh compensation to each bereaved family, a high-level probe into the tragedy, arrest of bootleggers and legal action against the excise and police officials of the areas concerned.
The outfit pressed for closure of a liquor shop opened near the Dolasahi-Guamala roadside.
PNN