Angul, Aug 18: At least six out of the 16 Congress activists arrested in Angul during the 12-hour Bandh called by the party on August 16 over the Mahanadi issue had fallen sick due to their hunger strike and were admitted to hospital today. Out of the six, four of them, including district unit president Pratap Pradhan, were taken to the SCB Medical College & Hospital in Cuttack after their health condition deteriorated. The rest two were undergoing treatment at the Angul District Headquarters Hospital.
Jailer Janardana Malik said all 16 Congress activists were on hunger strike and thus suffered from dehydration. As their health condition began to deteriorate, they were immediately admitted to the hospital while the rest were undergoing treatment inside the jail.
Notably, police had arrested 16 Congress workers during the bandh called by the Congress party to protest against the construction of barrages and dams in the upper catchment of Mahanadi by the Chhattisgarh Government. The arrested Congress workers had resorted to a hunger strike in the Angul jail since then.
