Justice AS Naidu Commission in Cuttack on Sunday. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, April 22: Probing into the Cuttack-Khurda hooch tragedy that claimed more than 40 lives, the Justice A.S. Naidu Commission today directed the state drugs controller to submit a detailed report on the whereabouts and sale particulars of certain drugs purportedly manufactured and sold by Bhubaneswar-based Eastern India Pharmaceuticals.

The commission was hearing a petition, filed by a city-based lawyer, seeking interim report from the state government suggesting measures to control illegal sale of drugs containing intoxicating substance.

Petitioner counsel Milan Kanungo contended that the excise department was being unnecessarily blamed when controlling sale of spurious drugs was vested with the state health department as well as the office of the state drugs controller. The excise department could not be blamed as chemical analysis reports indicated that the Epeecarm bottles seized from the spot contained sizeable percentage of methyl alcohol, he said.

On the other hand, drugs controller Hrushikesh Mohapatra, who was present before the commission, contended that chemical analysis of Epeecarm bottles seized from the pharmaceutical company had not revealed any presence of methyl alcohol.

While fixing April 29 for the next sitting, the commission sought a detailed report on the whereabouts and sale particulars of some 6,366 bottles of Epeecarm, 5,334 bottles of Cinnamon water and 6,989 bottlers of Orange tincture.

The commission also directed the chemical examiner of the Bhubaneswar-based state drugs testing research laboratory, which has conducted the tests, or any officers involved in such testing, to file an affidavit related to the findings. Khurda and Cuttack (rural) superintendent of police were also directed to file affidavits on investigations undertaken enclosing the first information report (FIR), station diary, seizure list and other particulars.

District collectors of Khurda and Cuttack were directed to file affidavits disclosing steps taken by the respective district administration and the cause of the deaths.

The inquiry commission, headed by retired high court judge Justice Naidu, was appointed on February 10 “to inquire into the circumstances and sequence of events leading to the deaths”.

The commission is expected to report on “the source of supply of the product which caused the death and persons or organisations responsible for supply and sale of such product” and “involvement/negligence of the field officials of the state government in detection and prevention of such malpractices”.