Judicial probe into the recent hooch tragedy that struck several villages in Cuttack and Khurda districts of Odisha has begun even as the death toll due to it mounted to 35, official sources said on Sunday.
The toll increased when Kailash Chandra Bhoi (40) of Cuttack Sadar, who was under treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital, died in the early hours of Saturday, its emergency officer B. N. Maharana said.
The judicial probe, ordered by the state government, began during the day with Justice A. S. Naidu, a former judge of Orissa High Court, who is also heading the one-man judicial commission into the Rourkela police-judicial officer scuffle, visiting SCB Hospital and holding discussions with the superintendent and doctors attending the liquor tragedy victims.
"Documents relating to the treatment and postmortem reports of the deceased were perused. Soon there will be notifications for inviting affidavits in the matter," Naidu said.
Cuttack collector Girish S.N. and city DCP S. Praveen Kumar were also present during Naidu’s visit to the hospital, which has released over 80 people admitted with symptoms of sickness after drinking the spurious liquor earlier this month.