Dhenkanal: Tension gripped Kokuajhar village near Lahada after people attacked a 102 ambulance carrying a pregnant woman to hospital following the refusal of the driver to ferry two minor sisters to hospital. The sisters were rescued from a pond at Kokuajhar village near Lahada under Nihalprasad police limits Thursday and feared dead.
The villagers detained the ambulance on the road with the pregnant woman inside and refused to let it go. Later, the two siblings were found dead.
The two were Purnima Hembram, (5), and Rajani Hembram, (3), both daughters of Makur Hembram in the village. They were bathing in the pond when they slipped and drowned. Locals rescued them from the pond and called a 102-ambulance to rush them to hospital.
However, the ambulance failed to turn up despite several calls. This sparked tension among villagers. Meanwhile, they saw another 102-ambulance ferrying a pregnant woman to the Sriramachandrapur community health centre.
They detained the ambulance and asked the driver to ferry the two sisters along with the pregnant woman to the hospital as time was running out.
However, the ambulance driver turned down their request. This angered the villagers and they went on a rampage and ransacked the vehicle with the pregnant woman remaining inside.
On being informed, Nihalprasad police rushed to the spot and made alternative arrangement to shift the pregnant woman to the Sriramchandrapur community health centre and sent the bodies of the two sisters for post-mortem to Dhenkanal.
Nihalprasad IIC Deepak Jena confirmed the incident and said the pregnant woman was shifted to hospital and the bodies of the two sisters were send for post-mortem.
