E-Paper
Fire Death toll rises to 93, more arrests likely
The death toll in Friday's fire devastation at AMRI Hospital in Dhakuria rose to 93, even as detectives of Kolkata Police on Sunday indicated they would arrest some doctors and more top officials of the hospital soon.
The death toll in Friday's fire devastation at AMRI Hospital in Dhakuria rose to 93, even as detectives of Kolkata Police on Sunday indicated they would arrest some doctors and more top officials of the hospital soon.
Babulal Bhattacharya, 36, a West Bengal Police constable, who had survived the blaze and was shifted to the hospital's Salt Lake facility, died on Saturday. He had been admitted to AMRI Dhakuria for cardiac ailment.
Nila Dasgupta, 84, mother of Jaya Dasgupta, additional chief secretary of West Bengal (development and planning department), was the other survivor who died, at Belle Vue, a nursing home in the city.
"She had a poor heart and respiratory disorder. She was admitted to Belle Vue when her daughter requested for a private nurse. But she was shifted to AMRI on Thursday as it is under the West Bengal health team. The very next day the fire broke out and she was saved and brought back to Belle Vue. She died on Saturday after suffering a cardiac arrest," said Belle Vue CEO Pradeep Tandon.
Meanwhile, sources in the detective department of Kolkata Police said some doctors and administrative officials of the AMRI Hospital would be arrested in the next few days.
According to the sources, the six arrested directors of AMRI have said during questioning they should not be held directly responsible for the fire outbreak because they were not involved in the day-to-day functioning of the hospital.
