Kataka: A security guard and an outsourced attendant were arrested in connection with the death of a mentally ill patient at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Odisha’s Kataka city.
The family of the deceased family had alleged that the patient was beaten to death while undergoing treatment at the hospital. Police suspect that the death may have resulted from an assault, as multiple injury marks were found on parts of the body.
Police said the two accused were arrested on the basis of the investigation, including an examination of CCTV footage from the hospital.
The arrested accused have been identified as ward attendant A Jagannath Rao, and security guard Dilip Kumar Pradhan. Both were arrested on Saturday and forwarded to court.
Sources said Sections 105 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) have been invoked against them. Section 105 deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, while Section 3(5) concerns acts done by several persons in furtherance of their common intention.
Further investigation is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the patient’s death.
Kataka Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rishikesh Khilari said a team of doctors was asked to conduct the post-mortem examination.
He added that the final post-mortem report was still awaited to establish the exact cause of death.
The deceased, identified as Srikant Das, 40, was a resident of Pahanga village under Rasulpur block in Jajpur district. He was admitted to the Mental Health Institute of SCB on September 28.
According to his family, Das stepped out of the ward late on September 29. His relatives alleged that hospital staff and security personnel brutally assaulted him with plastic pipes. The patient later died.