Kendrapara: The wife of a 53-year-old farmer from Kendrapara district has alleged that her husband died due to “repeated harassment and negligence at a mandi and rice mill”, and demanded a high-level judicial inquiry and Rs 20 lakh compensation.
Bharati Nayak, wife of Trilochan Nayak of Junagadi village under Rajnagar block, submitted a written complaint at the tehsil office, accusing officials of the mandi and a mill of subjecting her husband to “prolonged harassment” that led to his death February 25.
According to the complaint, Trilochan, the sole earning member of the family, had received a token January 16 to sell paddy at a local mandi, with February 15 fixed as the last date. From that day, he and his brothers regularly visited the Dangamal Society mandi at Ishwarpur, but the paddy was allegedly not accepted as per norms, forcing him to make repeated trips for nearly 40 days.
The complaint further stated that, a cooperative official February 22 allegedly informed him that 6 kg per quintal would be deducted and “took” Rs 1,000, directing him to deliver the paddy to Ramchandi mill. The next day, Trilochan hired a tractor at his own expense and transported the produce to the mill, where he reportedly stayed for three days under the open sky while waiting for unloading.
Even after he fell ill, the mill authorities allegedly demanded Rs 3,000 for unloading and deducted 3 kg per quintal. A receipt was issued February 25 showing the procurement of 51 quintals and 20 kg of paddy in his name, though by then he had returned home in a critical condition, the complaint stated.
The complaint further stated that his health deteriorated rapidly, and he was first taken to the Ishwarpur primary health centre and later to the Rajnagar community health centre, where doctors declared him dead.
Calling the death “not natural” but a result of continuous harassment, negligence and mental stress, Bharati said the family has been left in dire financial straits with no stable source of income. She demanded strict action against the mill owner and staff, at least Rs 20 lakh in government assistance, and a government job for her only son. She also sought reforms and stricter monitoring of the mandi and mill system to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
Additional Tehsildar Ashish Kumar Jena received the complaint. Tehsildar Yishnu Krishna Das visited the bereaved family Friday, expressed condolences and provided Rs 20,000 from the district Red Cross fund as immediate assistance.
However, Gobinda Chandra Jena, Secretary of the Dangamal PACS, dismissed the allegations as “false and fabricated.” He stated that a total of 38.90 quintals of paddy had been procured from Trilochan February 14 and that payment of Rs 92,154 was credited to his account February 19. According to Jena, the farmer died of cardiac arrest at his residence.
PNN