Justice A.S. Naidu (centre) with hospital officials at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on Saturday. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Feb. 18: The Justice A.S. Naidu Commission, appointed by the Odisha government to probe into the Cuttack-Khurda hooch tragedy, today decided to visit the S.C.B. Medical College and Hospital here before issuing any notification. The tragedy has so far claimed 36 lives in the two districts.

Usually, an inquiry commission issues a notification inviting affidavits in connection with the incident to be probed before following it up with recording of statements of witnesses, if necessary, after a spot visit.

The Justice A.S. Naidu Commission, however, started the inquiry process today by visiting SCB where 110 victims of spurious liquor were admitted for treatment. Of them, 33 have died in the hospital, the last death being reported last night.

“I was here to collect all the documents related to both victims who have died and those who are undergoing treatment. The documents include post-mortem reports, reports on the conditions of those admitted and medicines administered as part of the treatment process,” Justice A.S. Naidu told reporters here today.

Latest forensic reports had indicated consumption of deadly methyl alcohol-laced medicinal formulations by most of the victims. The deceased persons’ viscera samples were sent for further tests following post-mortem at the SCB.

Reports of the State Forensic Science Laboratory on the two samples of Epeecarm and Cinnamon bottles seized by police from the site of the tragedy at Tukulipada have also revealed that toxic alcohol was used in high content in the medicinal formulations.

Through a notification on February 10, the Odisha government had appointed the inquiry commission consisting of retired high court judge Justice A.S. Naidu “to inquire into and report within three months the circumstances and sequence of events leading to the deaths”.