The girl being wheeled into hospital after suffering an epileptic fit on a bus. Picture by Gopal Senapati

A teenaged girl who suffered an epileptic fit on a bus but could not be provided adequate medical care because of a CPM roadblock in Bally died at Howrah District Hospital on Tuesday.

The girl, who is yet to be identified, was travelling alone on a route 79 bus. It got stuck in a snarl created by the blockade at the intersection of Bally Chamrail Road and National Highway 6 around 8.45am.

The girl first complained of discomfort around 10.15am. She started frothing at the mouth soon after, said police.

Some passengers, with the help of residents, arranged for a cycle van and carried the girl to Kona Gramin Hospital on it. After her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to Howrah District Hospital around 12.15pm. She died on the way.

“Valuable time was lost in bringing her to the hospital. Her chances of survival would have increased if she received proper medical attention in time. The humid weather and long wait on the bus contributed to the fit,” said a doctor in the emergency ward of Howrah District Hospital.

One of the youths who took the girl to hospital said they were delayed by the blockade and the resultant traffic chaos in the area.

Supporters of the CPM set up the roadblock to protest an accident at the intersection around 8.30am, in which Swapan Mitra, the secretary of the Majerhat local committee, was injured.

Witnesses said a truck lost control and hit Mitra’s motorcycle, a cycle and a boulder, before rolling to a stop. The driver managed to flee.

Mitra, a CESC employee, was rushed to Howrah Zilla Hospital with a leg injury. He was shifted to Peerless Hospital, off EM Bypass.

Gobinda Naskar, the secretary of zilla committee No. 9, and cadres of the party set up the blockade soon after the mishap. Trinamul Congress activists also joined the protest.

“A child died in an accident at the intersection about 10 days ago. There is a longstanding demand from residents for an underpass. People spontaneously joined the blockade after today’s accident,” said Naskar.