7 SFI activists held for flouting prohibitory orders

Seven SFI activists were arrested in Salt Lake near here on Tuesday for "violating prohibitory orders" during a protest over the death of a COVID-19-positive man, who took his last breath at a city hospital after allegedly being denied admission by three other medical facilities.


PTI | Kolkata | Updated: 14-07-2020 19:29 IST | Created: 14-07-2020 19:29 IST
7 SFI activists held for flouting prohibitory orders
  • Country:
  • India

Seven SFI activists were arrested in Salt Lake near here on Tuesday for "violating prohibitory orders" during a protest over the death of a COVID-19-positive man, who took his last breath at a city hospital after allegedly being denied admission by three other medical facilities. A senior police officer of the Bidhannagar Commissionerate said no public gathering is allowed in the satellite township during lockdown, and the student activists were arrested as they refused to budge despite warnings.

"Seven activists were arrested and taken to Electronics Complex police station for violating prohibitory orders outside the Swastho Bhavan (health department headquarters) and preventing police officers from performing their duties," he told reporters. Subhrajit Chatterjee (18), who was diabetic and had tested positive for the viral disease, died on Saturday at the Kolkata Medical College and Hospital (KMCH), after allegedly being denied admission by three medical facilities. His parents claimed he died due to medical negligence.

Director of Health Services Ajoy Chakraborty had said the matter would be looked into. A spokesman of the Students' Federation of India (SFI), who was a part of the protest, alleged that the police resorted to unprovoked attack on the activists, who were demonstrating peacefully.

"We were peacefully holding protests outside the Swastho Bhavan against the medical negligence meted out to young people such as Subhrajit Chatterjee, when the cops charged towards us and beat us up," the spokesman of the CPI(M) students' wing said. Several members of the SFI, following the arrests, staged a sit-in outside the police station, demanding unconditional release of those taken into custody.

SFI's Bengal unit secretary Srijan Bhattacharya and state committee member Shuvajit Sarkar were among the seven activists apprehended in Salt Lake..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Give Feedback