2-year-old girl died due to diarrhoea: Jehanabad DM

PATNA: Jehanabad DM Alok Ranjan Ghosh on Monday denied allegation that a two-year-old girl died due to traffic jam during the Congress-sponsored Bharat bandh and blamed diarrhoea for her death.
Ghosh told this newspaper over the phone that the girl’s death should not be linked to Bharat bandh. “She was suffering from diarrhoea and her condition deteriorated on Monday. Instead of calling an ambulance, the girl’s father, Pramod Manjhi, decided to use public transport to take her to hospital.The delay on the part of the girl’s parents in admitting her to the hospital led to her death,” the DM claimed.
Earlier, it was alleged that the girl died as the autorickshaw carrying her from Bala Bigha village under Makhdoompur block to Jehanabad sadar hospital got stuck in traffic jam due to road blockade at five to six spots by bandh supporters.
However, Manjhi told Makhdoompur BDO Anil Mistri, who was asked to probe the incident, that he didn’t face any difficulty on way to the hospital. “The only problem was finding an autorickshaw as public transport was badly affected,” Manjhi reportedly told the BDO.
Meanwhile, Union information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has blamed the protesters for the death of the child. “It’s the essence of democracy that hospitals, ambulances and medicine shops are allowed to function without any hindrance. But, with the death of two-year-old in Bihar today, an environment of fear is being created. Who’s responsible for the death of a girl child in Bihar’s Jehanabad due to Bharat bandh?” he tweeted.
Leader of opposition in state assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has refuted Prasad’s claim. “Ravi Shankar ji you should talk to Jehanabad DM and the SDO as they claimed that the girl died due to other reasons. You should also confirm this with your health minister (sic),” Tejashwi tweeted.