Patient died from asphyxia during hosp blaze, not of cancer, claim family members

Kolkata: The family of Uttam Bardhan, the patient who died at ESI Hospital, Sealdah, on Friday, alleged the death was due to asphyxia from the fire.
The family expressed their grievances to state fire services minister Sujit Bose as well as police. Bose said, “I was at the spot, when I met the family. They were grieving and I offered my condolences to them.They claimed the victim died of asphyxia.”
The victim’s nephew, Joydeb Bardhan, claimed, “My uncle was indeed in a serious condition. He was suffering from cancer. But the cause of his death was asphyxia. He had choked to death.” He also alleged that the family, Uttam’s wife Pinki and daughter Mampi, learnt of his death much later at a different hospital, where Uttam was reportedly referred to from ESI Sealdah. “If he had died, why were we not told about it immediately?” he said.
Pinki and Mampi did not speak to reporters, but they made it clear that they suspected that asphyxia was the reason and it was due to the hospital’s negligence. It was not immediately known whether the family would lodge an official police complaint or not.
Police said an unnatural death case had been lodged and that the body would be sent for postmortem. None has so far been implicated in the case. “It will depend on investigations,” an officer said.
Uttam, in his early 50s, was from Chandpara Dhakuria in Gaighata, North 24-Parganas. Neighbours said he had been battling cancer for the past eight months and that he had been receiving treatment at ESI Sealdah in his last days.