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Karnataka CM's convoy-ambulance incident takes a U-turn

CM's convoy-ambulance incident take a bizarre twist
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Bengaluru, First Published Jun 29, 2016, 2:55 PM IST


The unfortunate episode in which Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah's convoy allegedly blocked an ambulance ferrying an old woman to the hospital leading to her death took a bizarre turn on Wednesday as concerned authorities denied that any such incident had even taken place.

 

Representatives of the ambulance service provider claimed only one caller -- by the name of Raghavendra, from Kolar -- called for a vehicle during the time that VVIP movement was scheduled to take place in the locality.

"We were asked to submit call details to police from 8 pm  to 9 pm. And only one call was traced between 8:30 pm to 8:45 pm, from Hoskote. This is the time when the VVIP movement was scheduled. A patient from Kolar was being ferried to Bengaluru, but there was no female patient and the driver did not face any issue as the police allowed them to pass through," said SS Parvez, a spokesperson for 108 Arogya Kavacha.


When contacted, Raghavendra, the alleged caller to the ambulance helpline, also denied any wrongdoing on the part of the police:

"The news about a lady patient dying in an ambulance is false. I was taking my relative, Naveen Kumar, to Hosmat hospital for treatment as he had suffered a fracture and eye injuries. There was a VVIP movement, but they did not stop us for more than a minute. The patient is on his way to recovery and has returned to his native place after treatment."

The incident happened on Tuesday night when traffic was blocked for Siddaramaiah's convoy, which was returning from a cultural function at Chinthamani, and allegedly prevented an ambulance carrying an ailing woman to reach the hospital.

The woman, according to several media reports, passed away due to lack of timely medical care.

Footage shot by bystanders at the site went viral on social media, forcing the chief minister to order a police probe into the episode.

"Traffic was held for only two minutes and not for over 20 minutes as claimed by the person in the video," Seemanthkumar Singh, IGP Central Range, clarified at a press conference held on Wednesday.

 

 

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