Brahmapur deaths: Viscera report confirms presence of pesticide in food

OST Bureau
Brahmapur, Jan 4:

The viscera report of five members of a family of Pandara Sahi in the city, who died after consuming food on December 2 last year, has confirmed the presence of pesticides in the food.

“The viscera examination has confirmed the presence of pesticide elements that caused the death of the five family members”, said Dr Sachidananda Mohanty, head of the department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (FMT), of MKCG Medical College and Hospital, in a press briefing here on Saturday.

The five family members – Bhuban Padhi, his sons Prasanna, Pramod and Pankaj and daughter Banita – were taken ill a day after eating chakuli, an Odia delicacy made of rice and black gram, and fried green banana, on the night of November 30.

All of them were admitted to MKCG Hospital. While the father and his three sons died on December 2, the daughter died the next day.

However, the Bhuban’s wife Sarojini and her eldest son Prashant survived as they had not eaten the stuff.