A few hours after a video on Thursday purportedly showing Padma Shri awardee Kamala Pujari dancing in the ICU of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack went viral, the tribal activist claimed she was forced to dance by social worker Mamata Behera which has further deteriorated her health.
“I do not know the social activist personally. I was forced to dance by her while coming out of the hospital after treatment. Despite saying no, she forced me to dance with her and recorded the video,” Pujari said.
“I was scared and got tired due to the dancing. This has further deteriorated my health,” she added.
Similarly, Kamala Pujari’s attendant Rajiv Hial also slammed the social worker for making her dance forcibly that has further deteriorated her health.
“We had admitted her to Cuttack for better treatment. However, the social worker continued to take pictures and make videos since the very first day. She should know how to treat a patient who is in the ICU. Her behaviour is very unfortunate,” he stated.
Notably, Pujari, who was suffering from kidney-related ailments, was discharged from SCB on Monday after receiving treatment for five days.
Prior to her discharge from the hospital, a female social worker allegedly forced the tribal activist to dance inside the ICU. In the viral video, the female activist can be seen dancing with Pujari with a local music being played in the background.
The incident has not gone down well with Paraja Samaja of the undivided Koraput district who strongly condemned the incident. The tribe has threatened to launch a massive protest if action is not taken in this regard.
Condemning the incident, Kadambini Tripathy, chairperson of Maa Ghara, Nabarangpur questioned how camera was allowed inside the ICU.
“In a place like ICU, where cameras are not allowed, shooting video and making reels is not supposed to be done. Besides, circulating the video for garnering attention or whatever reason may be also not good,” said Tripathy.
However, defending her act, Mamata said, Pujari performed Dhemsa, a traditional folk dance in Koraput district, by her own.
“Kamala Pujari was having a mental breakdown due to her illness and lost hope that she would survive. My intension was to make her mentally strong and help her to get well soon. She herself insisted that she would do Dhemsa dance,” Behera said.