Tamil Nadu hospital ‘treated’ dead man for 3 days, family alleges
Tamil Nadu, Sept 30: A family from Tamil Nadu’s Nagapattinam district on Saturday alleged that a private hospital in Thanjavur had charged them for three days of medical treatment to their kin after his death.
In a complaint lodged with Thanjavur south police station, Subash, son of the deceased N Sekar (55) said the private hospital kept his father’s body for three days, claiming that they were still treating him and charged the family for this period.
“My father was suffered from stomach pain on September 9. Therefore we admitted him to a local hospital at Nagapattinam. As the doctor referred him to a private hospital in Thanjavur, we took him there on September 10. The hospital charged us Rs 5 lakh for his medical expenses and further they asked us to pay Rs 3 lakh to continue the treatment on Friday.
“Hence, we decided to shift my father to Thanjavur government medical college hospital. When we took him there, the doctors who examined my father said that he died at least three days before,” Subash saidin his complaint.
G Palanisamy, a former Communist Party of India MLA and kin of the deceased, said that the private hospital failed to inform them about Sekar’s death.
“Instead of informing us about Sekar’s demise, they asked us to pay the fee. How they can treat a deceased person for three days,” Palanisamy told Hindustan Times.
When contacted, a senior police officer of Thanjavur south police station said they are waiting for the post-mortem report to come to a decision.
“On receiving the complaint, we requested the post-mortem procedure to know when Sekar died. If their allegation is true, we will take proper action,” the officer told Hindustan Times.
However, Vinoth Kumar, administrative officer of the private hospital, denied the allegation, saying that the family of deceased is trying to defame the hospital.
“We have the records to prove that the patient died on Friday. However, we are waiting for the autopsy report. How an established hospital like us could keep a deceased man for three days? We suspect our competitors have triggered the family to raise this issue to defame us. We have filed defamation suits in a local court against this,” Vinoth told Hindustan Times.
Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
