PMO orders inquiry into patient’s death

NEW DELHI - The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Monday ordered an inquiry into an incident in which a man on his way to hospital is said to have died because he was stranded due to traffic restrictions enforced for Manmohan Singh’s cavalcade on its way back from the Congress plenary at Burari.

“The PMO has ordered an inquiry into the matter, a senior PMO official told IANS.

The family of Anil Jain, a resident of Shahadara, said Monday he died of a heart attack while on his way to GB Pant Hospital because of traffic restrictions enforced for Manmohan Singh’s convoy.

The ambulance he was travelling in was stuck in Rajghat Sunday night as the traffic was stopped to let the prime minister’s convoy through. His family alleges that they were stopped there for almost half-an-hour from 7.45 p.m. to 8.15 p.m.

“When we reached the hospital, the doctor said that even if we had brought him 10-15 minutes earlier, he could have been saved,” the victim’s son Deepak Jain said.

It depends for how long the dignitary stays at the spot of function. On the basis of that we decide for how long the vehicular movement has to be restricted, or the traffic is diverted to another route, a senior officer of the Delhi traffic police said.

Traffic movement has been restricted on the Ring Road because of the 83rd Congress plenary at Burari in northwet Delhi.

In November 2009, a patient in critical condition had died in Chandigarh as he could not enter the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research as the prime minister was visiting the facility and tight security was in place.

The prime minister had expressed his condolences and written to the family of the deceased at that time.