Vehicular traffic on the Thoothukudi – Palayamkottai highway was thrown out of gear for more than three hours on Friday after a group of people staged a road roko near VVD Signal protesting against the decision to conduct post-mortem of a pregnant woman, who was reportedly brought dead to the Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital.
The police said Sabeera, 25, a pregnant woman from Muthiahpuram on Thoothukudi outskirts was admitted to a private hospital at Shanmugapuram here on Thursday with nausea. As the condition of the woman, carrying a 4-month-old foetus, worsened, she was referred to the Thoothukudi Government Medical College Hospital. However, doctors there declared her “brought dead” on arrival.
When Sub-Collector Simranjeet Singh Kahlon conducted inquiry at the Thoothukudi Government Medical College Hospital, he instructed the hospital authorities to handover the body only after conducting a post-mortem, as per established norms. Protesting the decision, relatives of the deceased and a group of Muslims staged a road roko near VVD Signal that disrupted vehicular traffic on the arterial highway for more than three hours.
The protestors said there was nothing suspicious in the death and the body should be handed over without post-mortem.
Some of them picked-up heated argument with the Thoothukudi Government Medical College Hospital doctors.
As the protest continued even after 6.15 p.m., those who were observing fast in view of Ramadhan, ended the fast at the protest venue itself. Even though the officials pacified them, the agitation continued even after 6.45 p.m.
