Maoists threaten to blow up hospital, demand Rs 40 lakhs

In an alarming development, suspected Maoists from Chhattisgarh have threatened to blow up Nehru Shatabdi Hospital in Jaiyant town of Singrauli district if they are not paid an amount of Rs 40 lakh.

District superintendent of police, however, said that it was a prank and miscreants, who have pasted pamphlet to this effect in a hospital vehicle, would soon be arrested.

According to sources, a hand written pamphlet was put up at a hospital vehicle stationed on the hospital premises on Saturday.

The pamphlet addressing all doctors and hospital management was allegedly written by Ganesh Singh, general secretary of Communist Party of India (Maoist), Chhatisgarh circle.

In the pamphlet, suspected Maoists have threatened doctors and hospital management that the hospital would be blown up if management does not pay Rs 40 lakh till Sunday.

The Maoists asked the hospital management to fetch the amount in forest of Hathipur, Sundergarh of Balod district of Chhattisgarh.

“They have written in pamphlet that doctors of hospital are exploiting people of the area and if doctors would not start providing free service to poor people at hospital, they would blow up the hospital,” said a police officer.

In the pamphlet, it was also written that bombs had already been planted in the hospital building and if managment failed to give demanded amount within the time frame laid by the Maoists, bombs would be blasted.

Following the threat, police and bomb squad carried out a massive checking in entire hospital building but nothing was found.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Singrauli Jaydevan A said that it was a prank by some miscreants. “Though it is prank, police have taken it seriously and started investigation.

The miscreants would be nabbed very soon. There could be involvement of some hospital staff behind this as hospital management had taken action against some staff, who were not working properly,” he told the HT.

According to sources, police have also rounded up driver of the vehicle in question, some worker of the hospital canteen and some members of the hospital staff for interrogation.

First Published: Jun 24, 2013 13:06 IST