Peon gives urine to senior when asked for water in Odisha, arrested

A peon in Odisha’s Gajapati district working at the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) Department was arrested for allegedly handing a bottle of urine to his senior officer in place of drinking water.

The accused, Subash Chandra Behera, was taken into custody by R Udayagiri police after Assistant Executive Engineer Guruprasad Pattnayak filed a formal complaint. The incident reportedly occurred on the night of July 23, when both were working late at the RWSS office in R Udayagiri.

According to the complaint, Pattnayak had asked Behera for a bottle of drinking water. Behera allegedly gave him a bottle that contained urine. Due to low lighting and work-related stress, Pattnayak unknowingly drank from the bottle.

He began to feel unwell shortly after and realised the nature of the liquid. He then became seriously ill and was admitted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur for treatment.

Pattnayak sent a sample of water to a laboratory test which revealed that the ammonia concentration in the sample was higher than usual, indicating serious contamination.

Following his recovery, Pattnayak lodged a police complaint. Acting on the report, police detained Behera and later arrested him.

Pattnayak added in his complaint that two other staff members residing with him also consumed the same water and expressed similar concerns about its taste and quality.

Authorities have registered a case under relevant sections and launched a probe to determine the motive behind the act.

- Ends