16 held for nursing home vandalism

Statesman News Service

MALDA. March 15. — Sixteen persons, including a higher secondary examinee, were arrested and sentenced to jail for ransacking a nursing home and setting ablaze an ambulance, police said today. On Monday night, a mob attacked a reputed nursing home and its doctors after the death of 32-year-old, Mahasin Sheikh, in English Bazaar town due to the negligence of doctors and hospital staff. Authorities said following doctors’ opinion, police conducted a post-mortem of the body, in order to know the exact cause of his death who was under going treatment in Malda Nursing Home for two days. Indian Medical Association, Malda unit, took out a protest rally and submitted a memorandum to the Malda SP calling on a token strike on Tuesday demanding arrest and proper punishment of the culprits IMA doctors including the nursing home authorities alleged that the police were “silent spectators” when the unruly mob were damaging the nursing home building. “Police have been discredited for failing to stem the attack on the hospital,” said Mr DK Mondal, the Malda SP. “The problem was, the mob attacked the nursing home in the second phase in presence of police though they reached just after five minutes from English Bazaar P S ,” the SP said. On the other hand, local residents alleged that police arrested many innocent people including HS examinees and friends of the nursing home staff. “Police could not arrest the two main culprits. They have been informed about them later. “We have released two HS examinees but one Roni alias Arrafat has been sent to jail after medical examination. He did not tell police about his status during medical examination. We have nothing to do now. But we can help him if he wants to appear in the H S examination,” Mr Mondal said. “I suggest relatives of Roni for seeking bail in the Court on this ground,” he added. Though it was alleged that the victim died due to negligence of doctors, and lack of proper diagnosis, the IMA members denied the charges. Investigations revealed that relatives of the patient got angry after hearing “unwanted facts” on the part of the patient. It was informed “he had infection in urinary tract, which might have been a fall out of some illicit sexual relation and habit of taking some drugs and hot drinks.” On the other hand, IMA doctors lastly claimed: “He was suffering from viral encephalitis, his brain was not functioning properly.” “We have called off cease work today and will see what the administration does in the meanwhile. Tomorrow we shall sit again to decide over the future course of action. The possibility of further ceasework can not be ruled out,” Dr Shymal Chakraborty, president of Malda IMA, told reporters. “The damage the mob has done is not to the building but to our confidence,” said a doctor, who was present at the spot. Police handled the situation of law and order with an iron hand when the relatives didn’t agree to the proposal of post mortem of the body. Eye witnesses said: “ The situation turned violent when the relatives of the patient decided to take Mahasin Sheikh to Kolkata and saw him dead just after making all payments of bills to the nursing home”. The patient was admitted with headache and fever, nursing home authorities said. #