After a few websites flashed news of Basu’s demise - it turned out to be a rumour - people from every corner of the city, cutting across social strata, gathered outside the hospital.

Political luminaries, including Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, CPM’s Biman Bose and Nirupam Sen, former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and senior state Congress leader Subrata Mukherjee visited Basu in the afternoon. However, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was yet to visit the hospital till last reports came in.

“The brain of Jyoti Basu is very strong. We want him to live. I am told by the doctors he did not respond to the old antibiotics and his medicines have been changed. The doctors are observing whether he is responding to the new antibiotics,” said Banerjee.

Left Front chairman Biman Bose was at pains to scotch rumours of Basu’s death that spread through the city earlier in the day. “We did not declare Basu had died. A few websites published false information about his death. It is a baseless rumour. His condition is critical and the doctors are monitoring his condition.”

Senior CPM leader Tarit Baran Topdar almost broke down while entering the hospital. “I am not in a position to comment,” he said amid sobs. State Agriculture Minister Naren Dey could not walk towards the hospital on his own and had to take help from police officers as he fell after reaching the AMRI hospital.

Babu, a 10-year-old boy who works at a tea-stall near the hospital, had to be dragged away by his employer from the hospital’s gates where he had dug heels since morning, leaving behind his work.The police and the administration had a tough time today managing the crowd. The traffic management on the EM Bypass collapsed after a huge snarl formed near the AMRI, blocking all approaching roads.

Around 2 pm, crowd became so unwieldy that Joykrishna Ghosh, Basu’s personal assistant, had to announce that the CPM veteran was very much alive.