Parida picks quarrel with jail inmates over smoking

BHUBANESWAR: High drama unfolded at Jharpada special jail here on Friday as retired army doctor Somnath Parida, lodged in the prison on charges of chopping his wife Ushashree into pieces, reportedly picked a quarrel with some inmates over smoking inside the ward.
"Parida, who is suffering from heart disease, felt suffocated as some inmates were smoking in the ward.I have asked him to lodge a written complaint with the jail superintendent," Parida's lawyer Ashok Raj said. "When Parida urged the inmates not to smoke near him, they reprimanded him," Raj said.
Jail superintendent Rabindranath Swain rubbished the allegation. "We do not allow any inmate to smoke in the ward," Swain said.
It coincided with the sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM) rejecting Parida's plea for admission to a hospital outside the prison. His lawyer had moved the court on July 5, seeking special treatment for Parida. "The court rejected our plea. But it has asked the jail authorities to provide him the best treatment," Raj said on Friday.
Though the alleged spine-chilling murder took place on June 3 and the body parts recovered on June 21, police are still grope in dark about the motive behind the crime. The weapon of offence is yet to be recovered.