CCTV cameras turned off on police instruction: Hospital tells Jaya panel
CHENNAI, Oct 06: The Apollo Hospital here has submitted to a panel probing late J Jayalalithaa's death that CCTV cameras in the corridors were switched off during the former chief minister's movement inside the premises based on instructions by police.
There are no CCTV cameras in the treatment rooms in the hospital, be it the ICU or the CCU, in keeping with international practices, legal manager S M Mohan Kumar apprised the Justice A. Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry in an affidavit on behalf of the hospital.
CCTV cameras are, however, positioned in spots like corridors and entrances for security purposes, counsel for the hospital, Maimoona Badsha said quoting the affidavit submitted on Friday.
The affidavit was filed to answer two queries of the commission related to CCTV cameras and issuance of press releases by the hospital.
"Whenever the late chief minister was taken out of her room for diagnostic tests like a scan within the hospital, the cameras covering those particular pathways were switched off," she told PTI.
This was done based on instructions from police officials, including Inspector General of Police (Intelligence) K N Sathiyamurthy, she noted.
The cameras would be turned on after she returned to her treatment room and the second floor of the hospital, where the late leader was being treated, was under the control of police, she added.
As regards to the press releases, the hospital submitted in its affidavit that ahead of the issuance of the first press note on September 23, 2016, Jayalalithaa was involved in its preparation.
The late leader was concerned that information about her hospitalisation should be publicised so that there was "no panic."
Subsequently, the press notes detailing her condition were sent to the then chief secretary Rama Mohana Rao and health secretary J Radhakrishnan, who in turn approved them for release to the media.
On Friday, government secretary to then governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, Ramesh Chand Meena, and Apollo Hospital's Subbiah Viswanathan were among those who appeared before the commission, and counsel for Sasikala, Raja Senthoor Pandian, cross-examined them.
Jayalalithaa had passed away on December 5, 2016, after being treated in the hospital for 75 days from September 22, 2016, for various ailments.
In September 2017, the state government had constituted a probe panel under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, mandating it to inquire into the circumstances leading to Jayalalithaa's hospitalisation on September 22, 2016, and the treatment provided at the hospital till her demise.
The commission, whose term has been twice extended since then, had invited all those having "personal knowledge and direct acquaintance" to furnish information related to her.
Several people, including present deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam and his followers, had earlier raised suspicions around the circumstances leading to Jayalalithaa's death.
Courtesy: timesofindia
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Bengaluru family attempts to send man in 'parcel' to protest high bus fares ahead of Ugadi, Ramzan
Bengaluru, Mar 18 (PTI): A family allegedly attempted to send an elderly man in a "parcel" through a courier service in protest against high bus fares ahead of Ugadi and Eid-ul-Fitr, police said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred in the Vyalikaval area of central Bengaluru on Tuesday evening, they said.
According to police, the family approached a private courier centre claiming they wanted to parcel the man as a symbolic message to the public over rising fares in both private and government buses.
Startled by the request, the courier staff alerted the police.
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During the inquiry, the elderly man's daughter said the act was staged as a protest and to create a social media reel. As part of the stunt, the family had placed the elderly man inside a gunny sack, a senior police officer said.
Police said the situation turned serious when the man experienced breathing difficulties inside the sack. Subsequently, the family apologised to the police and the public for their actions.
The officials warned that the act could have endangered the man's life and attracted serious legal consequences.
"No legal action was taken against them. However, the family was let off with a warning after issuing a video apology and were strictly cautioned against such dangerous stunts in the future, the officer added.
