Kolkata: The fire that broke out at AMRI hospital
which killed 90 people four years back, has re-surfaced again. Charges have
been framed against the 16 accused.
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The 16 men have been charged for culpable homicide
not amounting to murder. The trial will begin on September 5. All the accused,
among them prominent businessmen of Kolkata who are directors at AMRI, were
present in court for the framing of charges. Also present were members of
the victims’ family.
On December 9, 2011, around 2.30 AM, families
received frantic calls from the patients admitted in AMRI hospital. They complained
of smoke filling the wards from a fire in the basement, mostly through the
vents of the central air conditioning. Relatives rushed to the hospital, but
could do little to rescue their loved ones. Firemen had to break down huge
glass panes to let out the smoke and put out the fire. But it was too late for
92 patients, many of whom died in their beds.
Locals who were the first to reach the spot, said
the hospital’s security staff did not let them in to evacuate patients, not
realizing the gravity of the situation.
An umbrella organization, the AMRI Fire Victims
Families Association, has been waging the legal battle. Among its members was
Srinath Pariah, who lost his wife in the fire. He has a young son to care for.
“It has taken so long to reach trial. Who knows how much more time it will take
to get justice,” he said.
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