Protests in Odisha after death of a minor girl, allegedly due to negligence
Set on fire by two men a fortnight ago, a 14-year-old Odisha girl died last night on her way to the airport, from where the state government was flying her to Delhi. But doctors allegedly didn't tell her family, travelling in the same ambulance, until six hours later.
Sujata Bairagi's death sparked angry protests in Odisha capital Bhubaneswar early Friday morning. Protesters damaged vehicles, vandalized the government hospital and even burnt buses before more forces were called in.
Sujata was set ablaze by a man and his friend for rejecting him. Both the attackers were arrested. The Class 7 girl battled for life in a government hospital in Cuttack for nearly two weeks. With 70 per cent burns all over her body, she was kept in a room without air-conditioning or even a working fan.
When she became more critical, the state government finally decided on Thursday to fly her to Delhi's Safdarjung hospital, escorted by four doctors, her parents and a cousin.
Sujata reportedly died moments after the ambulance left the Cuttack hospital for its journey to the Bhubaneswar airport, 20 km away.
Doctors quietly removed her oxygen mask but refused to tell her parents why. From the airport, they took her to the Bhubaneswar hospital, all the while hiding the girl's death from her own parents.
Sujata was finally declared dead by the police at around 11:45 pm, almost six hours after she passed away in a different city. The news led to protests late Thursday, with demands for Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's resignation.
"The Chief minister and health minister should resign, the girl died due to the government's negligence," said Odisha Congress chief Jaydev Jena.