New Delhi: A young couple from Aheri taluka was compelled to carry the bodies of their two dead sons—who reportedly died from a fever after allegedly not receiving timely and adequate medical treatment—from a hospital back to their village, located 15 km away in Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra. The district is under the guardianship of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, according to a senior leader who made this claim on Thursday.
A distressing video was shared by Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar showing the unidentified couple struggling to transport the bodies of their two young sons, both under the age of 10, on their shoulders while navigating a muddy forest path.
Timely medical care denied
“The two brothers were suffering from fever, but they didn’t receive timely treatment. Within a few hours, their condition worsened, and just an hour later, the boys passed away,” said Mr. Wadettiwar, sharing a video of the tragic incident.
He added “There was no ambulance available to transport the bodies of the two minors to their village, Pattigaon, forcing the parents to walk 15 km through a rain-soaked, muddy path. The harsh reality of the healthcare system in Gadchiroli has been reported today.”
दोन्ही लेकरांचे ‘मृतदेह’ खांद्यावर घेऊन चिखलातून वाट शोधत पुढे जात असलेले हे दाम्पत्य गडचिरोली जिल्ह्यातील अहेरी तालुक्यातील आहे.
आजोळी आलेल्या दोन भावंडांना ताप आला. वेळेत उपचार मिळाले नाही. दोन तासांतच दोघांचीही प्रकृती खालावली व दीड तासांच्या अंतराने दोघांनीही अखेरचा श्वास… pic.twitter.com/ekQBQHXeGu
— Vijay Wadettiwar (@VijayWadettiwar) September 5, 2024
Wadettiwar slams ruling alliance
The Congress leader highlighted that Bharatiya Janata Party’s Devendra Fadnavis, who is part of the MahaYuti alliance, serves as the Guardian Minister of Gadchiroli, while Dharmarao Baba Atram from the Nationalist Congress Party holds the position of FDA Minister in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s government.
“Both leaders frequently claim that they can drive the state’s development through various events across Maharashtra. They should step down to the ground level and witness the living conditions in Gadchiroli and the rising death toll there,” said Wadettiwar.
This is the second such incident from Vidarbha this week, highlighted by Congress LOP. On September 1, Kavita A. Sakol, a pregnant tribal woman from Melghat, delivered a stillborn at home and died after an ambulance was delayed. Her family used a private vehicle to rush her to multiple health centres, but both the mother and the baby died.