Balangir: In a heartbreaking scene, three women were seen resorting to begging at a village in Odisha’s Balangir district to raise money for the release of their brother’s body from a hospital in Hyderabad.
The incident was reported from Dhunakeda village under Saintala block of the western Odisha district following the death of their brother, Rajesh Chhatria, in a road accident in Hyderabad.
According to sources, Rajesh was fatally injured in a road mishap recently and admitted to a private hospital in Hyderabad. He died while undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Shattered by the tragedy, his sisters alleged that the hospital in Hyderabad is demanding Rs 50,000 spent during the treatment of Rajesh to release his body.
Unable to pay the hospital dues, his sisters returned to their village started begging to collect the required money for the release of Rajesh’s body from the hospital.
They said Rajesh had gone to Hyderabad to work, but he died there following a road accident. The family is not in a position to pay the pending hospital bills. Therefore, they are left with no other option but to beg in the village, said one of the sisters of Rajesh .
A relative said that Rajesh had contested the last election for panchayat samiti member and lost. Having spent all his savings in the election campaign, he went to Hyderabad to work as a migrant worker in a factory.
Rajesh’s mother, who has five daughters, said the family received the news of his death a few days back. Her only son Rajesh was the lone earning members in the family. She urged the government to provide assistance to enable them to get back the body from Hyderabad.