Odisha: Ambulance driver shares alcohol with injured patient, video goes viral

Jagatsinghpur: In a bizarre incident that went viral on social media, an ambulance driver was seen offering alcohol and sharing a peg with an injured patient in his vehicle which was stopped on way to the hospital at the Cuttack-Paradip state highway within Tirtol police limits of the district on Sunday.  

In the viral video, the ambulance driver is seen making pegs, of what seems to be an alcoholic beverage, for himself and the patient, while parking his vehicle on the side of a highway in Tirtol area. The patient was being taken to a private hospital in Cuttack for treatment of his fractured leg. 

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While the driver was seen gulping his peg down at one go, the patient, with one leg plastered, sipped his drink while lying down on the stretcher. The bizarre incident came to light on Monday after bystanders took videos and uploaded those on social media. 

When onlookers confronted the driver, he claimed that the patient himself had asked for a drink. A woman and a child were also seen in the ambulance. PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos. The locals are reported to have demanded strict action against the ambulance driver. 

Meanwhile, the leader of the Mada Mukti Abhiyan Devi Prasad Moharana blamed the police and transport authorities for their negligence for keeping a check on such incidents, reports The New Indian Express. He said, "Individuals violating the rules should be imprisoned and penalised. As per section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act, anybody found driving or attempting to drive above the permissible limit of alcohol in blood in the body will face up to six months imprisonment or fined Rs 2,000 or both." 

Jagatsinghpur Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Dr Kshetrabasi Dash told PTI, "Since it was a private ambulance, we don't have much to say. But the RTO and the police station concerned must take action against the erring driver." Angry over the incident, residents of the area have demanded a probe into the incident and strict action against the ambulance driver.

Jugal Kishore Das, inspector in-charge of Tirtol Police Station, said no formal complaint has been lodged and an investigation will be launched only if an FIR is registered. Drunk driving, is, however, considered to be a traffic offence. 

The regional transport officer Nirmal Kumar Mohanty stated that they have directed an enforcement squad to keep a check on such incidents in the future. He said, "The department will take steps to raid such locations and punish the persons who drink and drive." 

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