WB: Man who provided ambulance to father-son carrying body on shoulders arrested
The video of a man, Ram Prasad Dewan, carrying the body of his mother on his shoulder with his father Joy Krishna Dewan helping him, went viral on January 5
A man, who provided am ambulance to a father-son duo carrying the dead body of a family member on their shoulder in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri, was arrested by the police on Wednesday.
The video of a man, Ram Prasad Dewan, carrying the body of his mother on his shoulder with his father Joy Krishna Dewan helping him, went viral on January 5.
The family reportedly had only ₹900 left and the drivers of private ambulances demanded ₹3,000.
A local NGO, Green Jalpaiguri, got in touch with Dewan, after he had carried the body for around 300 metres, and provided him with an ambulance to reach their residence at Kranti village, around 30 km away.
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“The NGO secretary Ankur Das was arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged by the secretary of the Private Ambulance Owners’ Association. The complainant alleged that he has been defamed,” said Biswajit Mahato, superintendent of police of Jalpaiguri district.
Das was arrested under sections 500 (defamation), 120b (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
Dilip Das, secretary of Private Ambulance Owners’ Association, Jalpaiguri in his complaint filed against Das on January 6 said, “The entire story of the body being carried on shoulders was scripted and it was Das who had asked the father-son duo to carry the body. Thus, Das defamed the association.”
The Mamata Banerjee-administration had come under severe attack from the opposition after the video of the family carrying the dead on their shoulder had gone viral.
Meanwhile Joy, in a letter sent to the West Bengal chief minister through the district magistrate, Jalpaiguri on January 9 said, “No one exerted pressure on us to carry the body of my wife on our shoulders. The private ambulance drivers demanded ₹3,000 and didn’t consider our pleas. Das suddenly came to our rescue and provided the ambulance which carried my wife’s body home.”
The administration had swung into action immediately and the Jalpaiguri Medical College and Hospital started enquiry.
“Three of the security guards of the hospital have been found not doing their duty properly and punitive action has been taken against them,” said Dr Kalyan Khan, medical superintendent and vice principal of Jalpaiguri Medical College and Hospital.