— Photo: Ashoke Chakrabarty

FOR GOOD HEALTH: Orissa Assembly Speaker Maheswar Mohanty (extreme right), Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb and former Union Minister K.P. Singh Deo at the yoga class conducted by Swami Ramdev in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

BHUBANESWAR: The yoga science camp being conducted by Swami Ramdev was embroiled in controversy as a 14-year-old boy died allegedly after attending `pranayam' (breathing) session on the opening day here on Wednesday.

The boy, identified as Manoj Das, who belonged to Gobindpur village under Ersama block of Jagatsinghpur district, was brought dead to the Capital Hospital, doctors told mediapersons.

Cousin of the boy, Sarbeswar Das, said: "Manoj had been suffering from heart ailment for quite some time. All attempts to get him cured had gone in vain. We decided to try yoga lessons of Swami Ramdev. Early in the morning I dropped him at Gate No. 2. There was no trace of my brother, when I came back to pick him up later. After a few frantic calls, I contacted my friend who was coincidentally in the Capital Hospital. He informed me about Manoj's death," he said.

Doctors' concern

Meanwhile, the controversy over the boy's death thickened. Sources said the boy was suffering from rheumatic heart disease, severe mitral regurgitation and severe aortic regurgitation.

Purusottam Patra, chairman of outpatient department of the camp, said: "the boy had come to the OPD and a doctor examined him. As his condition was stated to be serious, we sent him to hospital." He was not able to confirm if the boy had attended the yoga camp or not.

When contacted Khurda Superintendent of Police Amitabh Thakur said: "we are not sure whether the boy had undertaken the yoga exercise or not. We only know a boy died and was taken from camp site."

The doctors and experts, however, raised concern over the manner in which the huge camp was being conducted. About daily 30,000 tickets were allocated for six-day-long camp, which is being arranged under the aegis of Orissa Private Engineering College Association .

Huge crowd

However, about 20,000 persons congregated for morning session that was supposed to be attended by 15,000. Sources said the space appeared to be small for accommodating such a huge crowd.

The organisers neither sought medical certificates nor did arrange medical test to ascertain if a person was fit enough to take up the exercises, sources said.

Chief Medical Officer of Capital Hospital Sugat Kar said: "not all persons could do any yogic exercise. Three important examinations should be made before allowing a person to undertake exercises. They are blood sugar, cardiac and treadmill test." Naryan Ranjan Das, an eyewitness, said the boy was found trembling at the medical camp and sweating profusely.

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