Mob ransacks hospital in West Bengal

KOLKATA - Hundreds of agitated locals Tuesday ransacked a private hospital in South 24-Parganas district, adjoining Kolkata, as its authorities allegedly declined to admit a pperson injured in a road accident that killed six people.

Several people were also injured in a road accident in Patuli area near Eastern Metropolitan (EM) bypass in the district when a speeding lorry collided head-on with a Matador early Tuesday morning.

The incident spun out of control and infuriated locals ransacked Kolkata’s Peerless Hospital when it allegedly denied admission to the injured.

“We took the patients to the hospital but the authorities asked the patient parties to deposit a hefty sum before the admission. They categorically refused to take admission of a boy who was critically injured in the road accident,” said a local.

Sources said the local residents of Patuli went on rampage, ransacked valuable items and damaged the hospital’s medicine store. They also staged an agitation in front of the operation theatre.

The disgruntled locals also set the hospital gate on fire and damaged a police jeep protesting the indifferent attitude of the hospital.

The police had to open fire in the air to control the mob.

“The situation was brought under control after six hours. We are looking into the matter,” South 24-Parganas’ Superintendent of Police L.N. Meena told IANS.

Hospital Superintendent Sudipto Mitra said the mob ransacked the emergency department, operation theatre, laboratory, pharmacy and every important section of the hospital.

“But we can’t transfer victims without preliminary treatment. The mob then started creating problems,” Mitra said.

West Bengal Sport Minister Kanti Ganguly rushed to the spot and talked to the hospital authorities to enquire into the situation. He also sent some injured victims to other hospitals for treatment.

Condemning the incident, the minister said: “The entire incident should be investigated and necessary steps should be taken against the hospital authorities if found guilty.”

“Similarly, the police should also look into who attacked the hospital and damaged the hospital properties,” he said.

Ganguly, an influential Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader in the locality, said the police should also look into the allegation made by the patients.

Trinamool Congress leader of the opposition in the state assembly Partha Chattopadhyay along with senior party leaders also visited the spot and talked to the victims’ families.

Police sources said the bodies, including those of two women and a child, had been sent to the state-run M.R. Bangur Hospital for post-mortem examination.