Kolkata: Mob attacks CMRI hospital over death

Kolkata: A mob of nearly 100 people went on a rampage at a private hospital in Alipore on Wednesday, destroying properties and beating up staff, following the death of a teenaged girl due to alleged medical negligence.

Several patients admitted at the Calcutta Medical Research Institute fled in panic after the morning attack by a mob from the nearby Babubazar area.

“The CMRI hospital in Ekbalpore was vandalised this morning and some staff were beaten up,” a senior Kolkata police official said, adding that the agitators broke glass panes, computers and other materials at the reception and billing office.

The mob also resorted to a blockade on Diamond Harbour road during the morning rush hours causing major inconvenience to office-goers and other people. A large contingent of police led by senior officers persuaded the agitators to lift the blockade and brought the situation under control.

Police forces have been deployed on the hospital premises to ensure there was no further vandalism. Relatives of patients admitted at the hospital and at the out-patient department fled after the attack.

In a statement, CMRI condemned the violence and described the death of 16-year-old Saika Parvin as “unfortunate”. “A patient was brought to our hospital from a nursing home with a suspected perforation of bowel and was in a very critical condition. She was in a state of shock and the doctors needed to medically restore her blood pressure levels before being able to operate,” the statement read.

“But due to the severity of the shock, she passed away due to cardiac arrest even before she could be taken to the operation theatre,” the statement claimed, adding “We share our deepest condolence with the patient’s family.”

Police said it was going through CCTV footage to identify those responsible for the vandalism.

On a complaint filed by CMRI CEO Dr Shantanu Chattopadhyay at the Alipore police station, Kolkata police has initiated a case under various Sections of the IPC, including 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (II) (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), a police officer said.

A complaint against the hospital, too, has been filed by the girl’s family with police saying they have initiated a case under IPC Sections 304 and 34.