Sambalpur: The villagers of Themra under Maneswar block of the district on Thursday set the local community health centre (CHC) on fire after finding no doctors at the health centre to treat a severely injured biker.
Sources said, the incident happened when the villagers didn’t find a doctor in the hospital to treat the biker who was seriously injured in an accident near the centre. While one biker had died on the spot, the pillion rider was taken to the centre for treatment.
Their anger got multiplied after knowing that there is no ambulance in the hospital, which they needed to take the injured to a nearby hospital.
Irate over the lack of facilities, the villagers stormed into the centre and ransacked it. They also pulled up the furniture and valuables outside the centre. Some villagers then set the centre on fire.
Eyewitnesses said, the situation was so tense that the enraged villagers didn’t even allow the fire fighters to enter into the campus and douse the flames.
Later the protesters squatted on the road demanding an ambulance for the centre.