A video has gone viral on social media showing an ambulance driver in Odisha making pegs of what looks like an alcoholic beverage for himself and a patient inside the vehicle.
An ambulance driver in Odisha stopped his vehicle, offered his injured passenger a drink on the way to a hospital, and poured one for himself. A video capturing the incident has gone viral on social media, showing the ambulance driver making pegs of what looks like an alcoholic beverage for himself and the patient.
The man stopped his vehicle on the side of a highway in the Tirtol area and poured drinks for the two of them. In the video, the ambulance driver can be seen gulping down his drink in one go while the patient with a cast around his leg sipped his drink while lying down on a stretcher inside.
The incident came to light on Monday after onlookers took videos and uploaded them to social media. When the ambulance driver was confronted, he claimed that the patient himself had asked for a drink. A woman and a child were also seen in the ambulance.
Jagatsinghpur Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Dr Kshetrabasi Dash told PTI, “Since it was a private ambulance, we don’t have much to say. But the RTO and the police station concerned must take action against the erring driver.”
Meanwhile, residents of the area have demanded a probe into the incident and strict action against the ambulance driver.
Jugal Kishore Das, inspector in charge of Tirtol Police Station, said no formal complaint has been lodged and an investigation will be launched only if an FIR is registered. Drunk driving is considered a traffic offence.
