Three days after a devastating fire ravaged the AMRI Hospitals, Dhakuria, family members of Santosh Das, a resident of Agartala, Tripura admitted in the hospital, were running from pillar to post to learn about his whereabouts.
Paritosh Das, brother-in-law of the 26-year-old missing patient, met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at an event here on Monday to pay homage to the memory of the fire victims and sought her assistance to trace him.
“She assured me that she would provide all help in the search for my uncle. She has asked me to go to the Bhavani Bhavan [State CID Headquarters]” he said. “Mr. Das was admitted to the hospital on December 1 with fractures in left leg after an accident. On December 8, he was successfully operated upon. We were told that he would be discharged soon,” Paritosh told The Hindu .
“We had deposited Rs. 1,05,000 in the hospital for treatment. Another Rs. 40,000 was spent on the medicines. He was the only breadwinner and his parents sold off their house to arrange for his treatment,” he added.
Paritosh said that he had searched more than 20 hospitals and some morgues and had also contacted the Lake Police thana and the city police headquarters at Lalbazar but to no avail.
He said that when the fire broke out early on Friday, he tried to reach the second floor of the hospital where Santosh was admitted but was stopped by the security guards.
Meanwhile, Tripura Health Minister Tapan Chakraborty, who is in the city, said that so far bodies of six residents from the State had been sent back home while three others, shifted to other hospitals, had returned to Tripura. “There are efforts being made at all levels to trace him [Santosh Das].”
