Thackeray faction's ex-corporators camp outside Shiv Sena office at BMC HQ
Mumbai (PTI): More than a dozen former corporators of the Uddhav Thackeray-led group camped outside the Shiv Sena office at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters here to thwart any attempt by the Eknath Shinde-led faction to take control of it.
After the former corporators sat outside the office located on the ground floor of the BMC headquarters on Monday, police security was stepped up to avoid any law and order issue, officials said on Tuesday.
Notably, CM Shinde on Monday said no claim will be laid on any party property post the Election Commission's decision on the real Shiv Sena as "we are heirs of Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology and have no temptations".
"The Election Commission took the decision on the Shiv Sena name and bow and arrow symbol as per rules, and the office in the 'vidhimandal' (Legislature complex) is of the Shiv Sena. As far as property is concerned, we have no temptations," he had said.
Those who were tempted by property and wealth took the wrong step in 2019, he had said in an apparent reference to Uddhav Thackeray breaking the Shiv Sena's alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party post the Assembly poll results over the sharing of the chief ministerial tenure.
Thackeray had aligned with the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which ruled till June last year.
In December 2022, the BMC administration had sealed offices of all political parties at the civic headquarters following a face-off between the rival Shiv Sena factions.
Those offices are still sealed.
The BMC headquarters, which is a heritage building, has offices of all major political parties on its ground floor.
The Election Commission on Friday recognised the Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena and ordered allocation of the 'bow and arrow' poll symbol to it, in the process delivering a big blow to Uddhav Thackeray, whose father Bal Thackeray founded the outfit in 1966.
The EC allowed the Thackeray faction to retain the name Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the flaming torch' poll symbol, given to it in an interim order in October last year, till the conclusion of the upcoming Assembly bypolls in the state.
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.
B'luru: "Least priority, shifted late," says brother of patient who died in Ramaiah hospital fire
_vb_17.jpeg)
Bengaluru: Hours after a fire broke out at the Critical Care Unit (CCU) of the MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital on New BEL Road on Thursday, a 34-year-old patient, Sujay Sujathan Panicker, tragically passed away. His family has accused the hospital authorities of negligence, which they claim led to his death.
The fire at Ramaiah Memorial Hospital is believed to have been caused by a short circuit. Initial reports suggested that there were no casualties in the incident.
Sujay, originally from Kollam in Kerala, had been residing in Bengaluru with his family since 2004. He was undergoing treatment for pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), and H1N1 since September 1 at the hospital.
Sujay's wife and father released a video accusing the hospital of negligence. In the video, his wife, Rohini Jayan, alleged that the hospital authorities took no action against those responsible for the fire.
Sujay’s brother, Sujin Sujathan Panicker, speaking to Vartha Bharathi, detailed the family’s ordeal. He said that despite his sister-in-law requesting assistance during the chaos, the hospital staff pushed her away, assuring her that all patients had been safely evacuated to the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). However, Sujin claims that his sister-in-law did not see Sujay being shifted.
He further stated, “Sometime later, when a doctor arrived, she (Rohini) inquired about Sujay. It was only after the doctor questioned the staff that they rushed to evacuate him.”
Sujin added that by the time his brother was evacuated, 50 minutes had already passed since the fire broke out. "He was still inside, while all the other patients were taken out first. He was admitted to the hospital with a respiratory illness, yet he was given the least priority during the chaos. He was the last one to be evacuated."
He also claimed that Rohini had already noticed that Sujay’s condition had deteriorated and believed he had passed away, though the hospital authorities did not officially declare his death.
Sujin further stated that the hospital authorities called him and his father to the board room at the 8th floor of the hospital, where senior executives and doctors who had treated Sujay were present “During the interaction they (hospital authorities) claimed that Sujay was still alive and that his condition had worsened amid the smoke and that his chances of survival were less, which was not true.”
"Despite staff being present to evacuate my brother, they remained negligent. The fire broke out at 1:00 p.m., so why did it take 50 minutes to get him out? He was in a corner bed in the CCU, and it seemed they either overlooked the room or ignored it. Even after repeated requests, it took them 50 minutes to evacuate him," Sujin added.
Sujin also expressed concerns that the hospital authorities might attempt to influence the investigation. "They can influence anyone—any hospital, any report."
At the time of the interview, Sujin stated that neither anyone from the government nor from the health department had contacted the family.
A complaint has been filed in connection with the incident at the Sadashivanagar police station. "The statements of the family members have been recorded, and an investigation into the matter is underway. An FIR has been lodged under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) Section 106 (causing death due to negligence)," said Sadashivanagar police station Sub-Inspector.
Meanwhile, officials from Ramaiah Memorial Hospital were unavailable for comment.
