Clashes erupt in Churu after pregnant woman dies in hospital

JAIPUR: Clashes broke out between cops and villagers in the Sadulpur police station area of Churu on Sunday following the death of a pregnant woman two days ago, allegedly due to medical negligence.
After the death of 25-year-old pregnant Ratna Meena of Rampura village at a local government hospital on Saturday, her family refused to cremate the body and a crowd, which had gathered at the spot, pelted stones at the police who in turn lathicharged the protesters and used tear gas to disperse them. The family is demanding action against the medical staff as well as a compensation of Rs 10 lakh.
Following the violence, MLA Krishna Poonia and deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore came to the spot to take stock of the situation.
More forces deployed in Churu
When Poonia tried to talk to the women of the village, they refused and entered the hospital with other protesters, forcing cops to resort to a mild lathicharge. This angered the crowd who pelted stones at the police, leaving many injured on both sides. An ambulance and a vehicle of the district administration official were also damaged. Talks between officials and protesters have also failed.
“The agitators demanded the hospital staff be changed. This has been done and an FIR has also been registered. The matter is now about monetary compensation. Till now, we have not reached an agreement on this demand,” Churu SP Paras Deshmukh said. Opposition leader Rathore supported the demands of villagers andclaimedthatitwas a societal matter and not a political issue. The woman, Ratna Meena, was brought to the hospital for delivery on October 9. The family alleged that she died due to medical negligence before giving birth. Her family and villagers staged a protest and refused to receive and cremate the body till their demands were met after the autopsy was conducted.
The agitators have now said that they would sit on dharna again on Monday morning. Meanwhile, the body of the deceased woman has been kept in the freezer.
Additional forces have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order. The SP said that, at present, they have not arrested anyone for pelting stones at cops. "Several of our personnel were injured and we are looking into the matter," he said.
One more held in priest murder case: The Karauli police have arrested one more accused in the murder of the temple priest, taking the count of those arrested to three. Search is still going on for the remaining two accused. After the murder, cops had arrested the main accused, who had thrown petrolon the priest and set him on fire, in the case.