Protest erupts after family alleges eye theft at Barast Medical College
Kolkata: The relatives of a deceased patient staged a protest alleging that one of his eyes was removed while the body was kept in the morgue at Barasat Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. A three-member committee has been constituted to investigate the allegations.
The eyes of a dead accident victim were removed allegedly at a state-run medical college, the deceased's family claimed on Tuesday, sparking tension and prompting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to order a probe.
The family of the 34-year-old accident victim made the sensational allegation and began a protest on the Jessore Road, even going to the extent of blocking Banerjee's convoy while she was returning from a public meeting in Bongaon.
Banerjee patiently heard the family’s allegations and ordered a high-level inquiry on the spot, besides assuring both financial support and a job for the victim’s mother from her own quota, news agency UNI reported.
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She assured the family that stringent action would be taken if anyone was found guilty and directed police and the hospital authorities to examine CCTV footage and submit a report at the earliest.
An official of the Barasat Medical College and Hospital, where the victim was declared dead, denied any wrongdoing but said a formal inquiry would begin soon.
The grieving family alleged that Pritam Ghosh was grievously injured in the early hours of Monday when he was hit by a vehicle while crossing the road at Kazipara.
Police shifted him to Barasat Medical College, where doctors declared him dead. His post-mortem was conducted at the same hospital.
Speaking to TOI, BMCH MSVP Abhijit Saha said, "The body is currently in the hospital morgue, and we have constituted a committee to look into the allegations. A second post-mortem will be conducted on Thursday".
However, the family members claimed that Pritam’s eyes were intact when he was brought to the hospital but missing when they received the body after the autopsy. Alleging that his eyes had been “stolen” inside the hospital, they began the protest.
Dr Abhijit Saha, Medical Superintendent and Vice Principal of Barasat Medical College and Hospital, said the family had lodged a verbal complaint with him.
“I had asked them to submit a written complaint so that we could form an inquiry committee. Before that could happen, they started the protest in front of the Chief Minister’s convoy,” he said, reports UNI.
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