Incredible scenes were witnessed by locals near Sarala Road on Cuttack – Paradip Expressway after an ambulance driver halted his vehicle on the road to make a drink for the patient, the video of which has gone viral.
The ambulance driver, later identified as Dilip Rath, not only made a couple of drinks for the patient, he himself took a few pegs before getting behind the wheels to ferry the patient to Cuttack.
In the video, some locals can be heard asking the ambulance driver why he is giving liquor to the patient in the back of the vehicle, to which the driver replies that the patient has forced him to bring liquor, otherwise he (the patient) won’t allow him to drive peacefully.
The patient who can be seen wrapping an orthopaedic plaster around his leg has his relative accompanying him in the ambulance as well.
When the video went viral like wild fire in the internet, OTV got hold of the ambulance driver’s phone number and asked him for his comments on the incident.
Speaking to OTV, Rath said, “Yes, the video is authentic. I was driving the ambulance that day when the patient with a broken leg from Paradip asked me to take him to Cuttack for treatment. It was a private ambulance and a free service. But as soon as I begun the journey, he (the patient) started pestering me to bring some liquor for him. He complained of pain and wanted to drink liquor to feel relaxed.”
“I tried to ignore his demands till Kujang, but he did not allow me to drive with his constant pain induced noises and I was finally forced to bring him liquor near Sarala Road,” he said.
When asked about why did he (Rath) drink, Rath said, “I could not resist the urge and drank a little after he finished his drink. It was a mistake and I promise it will not be repeated again.”
Local authorities could not be contacted to comment in this connection.
(Reported by Sashank Sekhar Panda, OTV)