Somnath Chatterjee continues to be critical
Kolkata, July 1: The health condition of former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, under treatment in a private nursing home here following a cerebral haemorrhage, continues to be critical with no further signs of deterioration, a hospital official said.
"His condition is more or less the same. He is still kept in the critical care unit and all the standard medical procedures are being followed. Such critical patients generally take time to recover," Pradip Tondon, CEO of Bellevue clinic, told IANS over phone.
"He is slightly conscious at times but extremely drowsy. However, there has not been any further deterioration in his condition," he added.
Tondon, however, confirmed the veteran politician would not undergo any surgery.
The 89-year-old former Left leader was admitted to the nursing home on June 25 in a critical condition. A medical board comprising Chatterjee's family physicians and other specialists are supervising his treatment.
Chatterjee, regarded as an outstanding parliamentarian, served as Lok Sabha Speaker from 2004 to 2009.
The 10-time Lok Sabha member was expelled from the Communist Party of India-Marxist on July 23, 2008, "for seriously compromising the position of the party" as he refused to resign as Speaker after the CPI-M withdrew its support to the first United Progressive Alliance government over the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal.
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.
Bihar hooch tragedy toll rises to nine as three more persons die
Motihari (PTI): The toll in the hooch tragedy in Bihar's East Champaran district rose to nine on Sunday after three more people who had consumed spurious liquor died, officials said.
The first death was reported on Thursday, they said.
A total of 15 people have been arrested in connection with the deaths in the Turkauliya and Raghunathpur areas of Motihari, District Magistrate Saurabh Jorwal said.
A case of murder has already been registered on the basis of complaints filed by the family members of the deceased, police said.
Jorwal said one person is still in the hospital and his condition is reported to be critical.
"Seven persons have already been discharged after treatment," he told PTI.
"The bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem examination. The exact cause of the deaths can only be known after the reports arrive," he said.
The SHO of Turkauliya police station has already been suspended on charge of dereliction of duty, and a special investigation team has been constituted to probe the incident, officials said.
The deaths have led to a political slugfest in the state, where the sale and consumption of alcohol has been banned since 2016.
