By Chandy Oommen
The premises of the Government Medical College Hospital here witnessed widespread protests on Thursday following the collapse of an old building on the hospital campus, which claimed one life.
The incident sparked immediate outrage as Youth Congress activists, led by Chandy Oommen, MLA, staged a blockade in front of the hospital superintendent鈥檚 office.
Members of other political parties, including the BJP, Kerala Congress and Social Democratic Party of India, also held brief demonstrations in the area, condemning the alleged official apathy. The protests escalated when several bystanders, mainly relatives of patients, sought to openly challenge the hospital authorities鈥 claim that the collapsed building had long remained unused
Earlier in the day, Mr. Oommen had a heated exchange with the police over the delay in bringing an earth mover to aid the search and rescue operations.
By afternoon, a United Democratic Front delegation comprising MP, K. Francis George, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and others visited the hospital. Adding to the tension, Youth Congress workers attempted to wave black flags at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during his visit to the accident site in the evening.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan held the government responsible for the delay in rescue efforts. 鈥淚t was based on a statement by the Health and Cooperation Ministers that no one was inside the building that rescue operations were delayed. But relatives of patients have confirmed that even this morning, the building was in use鈥攊ncluding its toilet facilities. On what grounds then did the Ministers declare the building unoccupied? That statement alone cost a life. A family lost their mother. The Minister must take responsibility,鈥 he said, in a statement
Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala also launched scathing criticism on the alleged official negligence leading to the accident and delaying the rescue operation.