Undertrial prisoner escapes from Covid ward of Odisha hospital

This week, a 73-year-old Covid patient was found dead in the toilet of government-run SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack while a 25-year-old Covid patient at the same hospital died by suicide after jumping from the fourth floor of the hospital.

Published on: Aug 7, 2021, 14:42:03 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Days after two Covid patients died in a government hospital in Odisha under mysterious circumstances, an under-trial prisoner who had tested positive for the disease allegedly escaped from the Covid ward of another government hospital on Saturday.

The undertrial prisoner was admitted to the Covid ward at the Odisha hospital on July 31 after he tested positive. (Bloomberg/Representative Photo)

Officials said Mirata Singh of Nayagarh district, who was arrested on charges of cannabis smuggling and lodged in Baliguda sub-jail last month, was found missing from his bed at the Covid ward of MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur on Saturday morning.

“Two police personnel who had accompanied Singh to the hospital were guarding the prisoner. We have informed the police regarding the custody break. The CCTV footage will be examined on how he managed to escape,” said Prof Santosh Kumar Mishra, superintendent of the hospital.

Singh was admitted to the Covid ward at the hospital on July 31 after he tested positive. After a week-long treatment, he recovered and was about to be discharged. Police have launched a search for the escaped prisoner.

This week, a 73-year-old Covid patient was found dead in the toilet of government-run SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack while a 25-year-old Covid patient at the same hospital died by suicide after jumping from the fourth floor of the hospital. Police are still probing both the deaths.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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