Behala: Hospital vandalised after patient’s death, 9 people arrested

Kolkata: In yet another distressing incident, Behala Vidyasagar State General Hospital in Kolkata was vandalised by a large group of miscreants on Friday night following the death of a 28-year-old man.

The miscreants allegedly caused extensive damage to the emergency department and the main entry gate, and nursing staff were also attacked.

Cops from Parnashree Police Station arrived at the scene and managed to bring the situation under control.

Subsequent investigations by the police resulted in the arrest of nine individuals in connection with the vandalism.

According to sources, Mehamud Alam, a resident of Thakurpukur, fell ill while returning from Digha. He was brought to the hospital at around 8.30 pm and was undergoing treatment when he suffered a heart attack. Despite the hospital authorities’ efforts, Alam did not survive.

Following Alam’s death, his family members and friends gathered at the hospital premises, demanding medical records and accusing the hospital of negligence. The hospital informed them that, as a government hospital, it could not provide medical records without court permission. However, following another demand from the family, the death certificate of the deceased was handed over to them within 2 hours. Allegedly, at around 10 pm, over 100 people gathered in the hospital premises and late at night that mob allegedly barged into the emergency department, causing extensive damage. The entry gate was also vandalised, and nursing staff were assaulted. Hospital authorities reported that three nursing staff members were injured in the incident.

During the chaos, several patients and their families fled in fear. A doctor on duty stated that despite their best efforts to provide medical care to the patient in the limited time they had, the family did not listen.