Phulbani: Two women died and six others were taken ill after allegedly consuming a gruel made of mango kernel at Mandipanka village of Kandhamal district, bringing back dark memories of past deaths from the erstwhile KBK region once infamous for its acute poverty and backwardness.
The victims were identified as Runi Majhi (30) and Ranita Patamajhi (28), both natives of Daringibadi block’s Mandipanka village where the incident took place. On Friday, the Health and Family Welfare department rushed two teams from Daringiibadi and Bramhanigaon to Mandipanka.
Health and Family Welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling said two teams are camping in the village to ascertain the cause of death. “After getting detailed reports, we will be able to confirm what the villagers consumed and the reason behind their death,” he said.
Reports from the ground suggested eight women, from six families of Mandipanka village, made the gruel on Wednesday. Shortly after consuming it, they complained of loose motion, vomiting and nausea. One of them perished at the community health centre of Daringibadi while the other died at the district headquarters hospital. Six others were shifted to MKCG medical college and hospital at Berhampur. They are responding to treatment.
“The exact reason is yet to be ascertained. It is suspected food poisoning after consumption of the gruel made of mango kernel might have led to the incident”, said doctor Subrat Das.
The on-ground health team members said no other person was found sick in the village. The reason behind the two women’s death can only be ascertained after postmortem report is received.
As per the government’s direction, block development officer Priti Ranjan Ratha, tehsildar Sarat Kumar Sabar and Bramhanigaon IIC Bijay Kumar Highburu too reached the village and disbursed Rs.10,000 each to the kin of the deceased in presence of panchayat samiti chairman Sushant Kumar Pradhan. The kin were also given another Rs.3,000 under Harischandra Yojana.
Sushant alleged the deceased and the sick women are from BPL category and had not received PDS rice for the last three months. Due to recent restrictions imposed on PDS rice, food scarcity prevails in the area, he alleged.
Irked over the incident, villagers demanded adequate compensation for the families of both the deceased and all possible assistance for the six others undergoing treatment. The incident raised concerns of the food security challenges faced by tribal communities in the region. Locals had also reported similar cases of illnesses related to mango kernel consumption in the past pointing to the need for awareness. Death caused by consumption of mango kernel gruel is not new from the region.
Kashipur block of Rayagada made headlines in 2001 when around 24 people died though the government back then had refused to acknowledge starvation to be the reason. Starvation allegations in the area also led to a government inquiry in 1997 bringing to fore the issue of dire food shortage faced by the community. In 2016, a 12-year-old child and an elderly man from Sipijodi village died and 10 others were hospitalised with symptoms of diarrhoea in a similar incident.