Kolkata:
A young man, who risked his life to rescue a number of patients from the fire-ravaged Annexe-I building of the AMRI hospital on Friday, is now fighting for his own life at a city hospital.
On the fateful night, 23-year-old Shankar Maity, a resident of the Panchanantala slum adjacent to the AMRI Hospital's Dhakuria unit, entered the hospital with some neighbours in response to the cries of help by trapped patients.
Using bed sheets, Shankar and his friends managed to save the lives of a number of patients braving the lung-choking toxic fume that had engulfed the building.
"He worked the whole night and when he returned home on Friday afternoon, Shankar said he was not feeling well. We urged him to eat something, but he declined, and lay down in bed," said a relative.
A little later, he began to have breathing problems and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital the same day.
The youngest of three children of a railway hawker, Shankar, a B.Com (Hons) student of South City College, was popular in the area for his amiable nature and helpful disposition.
His parents, who remained at the hospital accompanied by some of his friends, however, have no idea how they will fund his treatment.
No one on behalf of the AMRI Hospital had visited Shankar or his family members.
"Shankar risked his life to save others. But see, there is no one to support him now," said his friend Deep Prakash Kayal.
Earlier in the day, a group of people from Panchanantala went in a procession to AMRI, Dhakuria and gheraoed some officials in protest against what they described as the "indifference" of the hospital authorities to those who risked their lives in saving the lives of patients.
"We are not asking for money. All we are asking is that someone from the hospital should visit Shankar," said a protester.