Chaos at Cooper Hospital: Mob vandalises property after patient declared dead

Mumbai: Tension broke out at Dr R. N. Cooper Municipal General Hospital after a mob of around 40-50 people created a ruckus and vandalised the hospital property after a 40-year-old woman was declared dead on arrival by doctors.

While no doctors or hospital staff were assaulted, the hospital property was damaged with glass panels being shattered and registration counters wrecked. The mob allegedly shouted at the doctors, attempted to assault them, and threatened to have them arrested.

Following this, the police have booked the huband of the deceased and several members of the family under different sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including Setion 324 (offense of mischief, section 351(2) offence of criminal intimidation), section 221 (voluntarily obstructs any public servant in the discharge of his public functions), section 3(5) (a principle of constructive liability, that indicates, if two or more individuals collaborate, even implicitly, to commit an unlawful act, they can be held equally accountable, irrespective of who physically performed the act).

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The incident occurred around 10.30 pm on December 31st, while Sabina Sheikh was working at home, when she reportedly received a high-voltage electric shock, lost her balance, and fell from the first floor of her house. Her condition was critical when she was taken to Cooper Hospital, where doctors confirmed that she had already passed away.

Soon after the death was confirmed, tension broke out at the hospital. Cooper Hospital authorities alleged that the woman’s family members and local residents of around 40-50 people created a ruckus inside the hospital premises, accusing doctors of delaying treatment and holding them responsible for her death.

Dr Devdas Shetty, dean of Cooper Hospital, told Hindustan Times, "A lot of hospital property has been damaged. Registration counters were broken, and glass panels at the gate were shattered. The chief security officer visited the premises today to assess the situation and will assist in strengthening security."

According to the hospital authorities, "When the woman's family and other locals learned of her passing, they rushed to the Cooper Hospital. They caused a commotion at the hospital by claiming that the doctors delayed in care was the reason for the death. The medical officers, staff, and security personnel at the hospital were prevented from performing their official responsibilities by this crowd."

Dr Shetty accused the family members of the deceased of removing her body forcibly from the hospital. He told ETV Bharat, "Some people removed the body forcibly and carried it out of the hospital during this disturbance. The woman's body was transported in a rickshaw to a nearby homeopathic hospital, where medical professionals there too pronounced her 'brought dead'. The police then stepped in, managed the situation, and reclaimed the body."

Dr Shetty added, "The medical professionals in government hospitals work extremely hard to care for their patients. This sort of behaviour by families of patients is absolutely unacceptable. Some of them disrupt our staff from performing their duties and cause destruction within the facility."

"The patient was admitted in accordance with medical protocol, and the death was formally documented. In accordance with regulations, an autopsy was recommended. However, things got out of hand and security forces had to be called in. In an effort to calm the patient's family, the security personnel quickly took them out of the hospital. The police were notified when the situation was becoming out of control, and they brought it under control," he said.

It has been alleged that the husband and his relatives allegedly re-entered the hospital premises and barged into the morgue, despite attempts to stop them by hospital security. However, they were stopped when the police and the dean intervened.

A police officer in this regard said, "The accused committed the offence in a state of shock after being informed of the woman’s death. They have been booked for rioting and unlawful assembly."

Till now, no arrests have been made, but the police have issued a summons notice for questioning to the accused. An investigation is underway in connection with the case.

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