Mob Sets Ambulance Ablaze After COVID-19 Patient’s Death

A 55-year-old COVID-19 patient succumbed to the infection at Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) in Karnataka’s Belagavi city on Wednesday. Subsequently, a mob of around 100 people, including the deceased patient’s family members, went on a rampage spree.

The mob divided into several groups pelted stones at the hospital, manhandled Group D workers and later set an ambulance ablaze in the night on the same day.

On July 19, the now-deceased patient, a resident of the city’s camp area, was admitted to BIMS, a COVID-19-designated healthcare facility. He was found positive for COVID-19 and was shifted to ICU. However, he did not respond to the treatment and died on Wednesday.

According to a report by The Times of India, the irate mob even pelted stones on police vehicles. Later, as the situation aggravated, police resorted to mild baton-charging for pacifying the crowd. The fire brigade arrived at the spot to douse the fire. However, the ambulance was completely damaged by then.

BIMS Director, Vinay Dastikop said that the incident has left the hospital staff in a state of shock and their morale has been dented. After the incident, the doctors, nurses and other employees were called inside the hospital for reinforcing confidence to continue their medical duty.

Police initiated an investigation after registering a case into the matter. Deputy Commissioner MG Hiremath said that Section 144 of CrPC has been imposed and the security arrangements at the hospital have been stepped up. They have deployed a police vehicle for preventing such incidents from happening.