Ghanasyam Das, a resident of Baranagar, was admitted to the hospital with cardiac ailments. His condition deteriorated and doctors advised to shift him to R G Kar Medical College and Hospital. The hospital authorities told the family that the only ambulance it has was not available. It was later found that hospital superintendent Biswanath Das had taken the ambulance to attend a wedding ceremony at Salt Lake.

On learning this, the patient’s relatives became furious.

“It was not possible to get an ambulance around 11 pm. We learnt that the hospital superintendent had himself taken the ambulance for private use. We had no other option but to inform the local club members about the matter,” said Ghanasyam’s grandson Monohar Das. The members of the club situated on the hospital premises arrived at the hospital. No sooner they saw Das returning, they started beating him up and also attacked other doctors of the hospital who were on duty at that time.

They demanded the superintendent to give an explanation as to why he took the ambulance for his personal use. Later, Ghanasyam was taken to RG Kar Hospital in the ambulance.

After the club members left, Das lodged a complaint against the youths for beating him up and the other doctors. Madan Kanti Das, the driver of the ambulance, said that he had taken the hospital superintendent to Salt Lake on his orders. “I was also beaten up by the club members after returning,” he said.

Mrinal Kumar Acharya, a doctor of the hospital, said the superintendent and some other doctors and nurses went to attend the wedding ceremony of a doctor’s daughter.

“The superintendent took the ambulance and other doctors only accompanied him,” he said.