A bizzare incident was reported from Odisha’s Gajapati district, where a peon working in the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) Department was arrested for allegedly giving his senior officer a bottle containing urine instead of drinking water.

The peon, Subash Chandra Behera, was taken into custody by R Udayagiri police after Assistant Executive Engineer Guruprasad Pattnayak filed a formal complaint. The incident took place on the night of July 23 when both men were working late in the RWSS office.

According to the complaint, Pattnayak asked Behera for a bottle of drinking water. Behera returned with a bottle, and due to low lighting and work-related fatigue, Pattnayak drank from it without noticing anything unusual at first. He soon felt unwell and realised the liquid wasn’t normal water. He stopped drinking immediately and later said he suspected it may have been urine.

Pattnayak was taken to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur for treatment. He also sent the liquid for lab testing, which showed unusually high levels of ammonia, indicating it was contaminated. After recovering, Pattnayak reported the matter to the police. Acting on his complaint, the police detained Behera and later arrested him. A case has been registered, and a probe is underway to find out whether the act was deliberate or accidental.
Pattnayak also mentioned that two other staff members who live with him drank the same water and complained about its taste and quality, which has raised further concerns about hygiene and water safety in the office.