Cadre death sparks BJP ire at TMH

Policemen at Tata Main Hospital after the ruckus on Thursday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

BJP supporters created a ruckus at Tata Main Hospital (TMH) on Thursday morning after the death of a fellow worker undergoing treatment there.

The party supporters claimed that 30-year-old Rajiv Kumar Das, an active BJP member, fell victim to wrong treatment. Police have registered a case of negligence against Ravi Sharma, a general physician of TMH, on the basis of an FIR lodged by the deceased’s brother Pradeep Kumar Das.

A resident of Golmuri, Rajiv was suffering from stomach upset and had also vomited a number of times. His family members brought him to the emergency wing of TMH at 4.30am on Thursday.

Suddenly, his condition deteriorated at the hospital and he died at 5am.

An hour after his death, over a dozen BJP workers turned up on the hospital premises and enquired about the reasons that led to Rajiv’s sudden death. Subsequently, they started raising slogans against the TMH management for failing to offer proper treatment to Rajiv and unleashed their anger by tossing around a few items.

Rajiv’s relatives also joined in.

The protest prompted security personnel at the hospital to call police for tackling the party workers.

Sub-inspector of Bistupur police station P.N. Roy, who reached the hospital on getting the complaint, said the protest was against a particular doctor for alleged wrong diagnosis and treatment.

“Though the relatives and associates of the deceased were fuming over his death, they did not manhandle the medical staff during the agitation. They threw away the register and equipment kept on a table in the health hub’s emergency wing. Later, they shouted slogans against hospital management and doctors concerned,” Roy told The Telegraph.

TMH chief G. Ramdas confirmed that the patient died within half-an-hour of arriving at the hospital. He also added that the hospital authorities had conducted an inquiry into the death.

“The patient, Rajiv Kumar Das, had been brought around 4.30am, while he was suffering from acute vomiting and loose motion. On being checked, the doctors on emergency duty found that his blood pressure had dropped considerably. Keeping in view his deteriorating condition, he was administered an injection for restoring the pressure. But, in the next few minutes the patient had a cardiac arrest. The doctors tried their best to save him, but to no avail,” he explained.

Ramdas added that when BJP supporters started creating a ruckus, he himself went to them and suggested that an autopsy should be conducted to know the reason behind the death.

“But, they continued to protest and said they would lodge an FIR against Ravi Sharma,” he said.

Sub-inspector Roy said the body had been sent to MGM Medical College’s mortuary, where a post-mortem would be conducted on Friday.