Ayurvedic college student dies in freak accident, Yuva Sena (UBT) protests

Mumbai, April 27 (IANS) A third year BAMS student of the reputed Podar Ayurvedic College in Worli died after falling from a tree near his hostel, officials said here on Thursday.

The accident in which Dayanand Kale, 22, hailing from Dharashiv, succumbed, took place late on Wednesday night when he had climbed a tree to pluck some mangoes and slipped down, sustaining serious head injuries, said an official.

Owing to the absence of a casualty ward or an ICU in the hospital, the student was rushed to the Sir J.J. Hospital in south Mumbai but died before admission.

Following the incident, the Shiv Sena's (UBT) Yuva Sena carried out a noisy agitation on the college campus demanding the opening of a casualty department and an ICU which was sanctioned in 2015.

"All the equipment for this was received but is lying in a godown of another government hospital owing to the callousness of the concerned authorities," said Abhijit Patil and Sanket Sawant, Yuva Sena (UBT) Worli unit leaders.

The Sena (UBT) has been pursuing the matter with the state government with a series of communications, but the matter remained unresolved, said Patil, even as senior legislators Sunil Shinde and Kapil Patil rushed to meet the agitating students and striking doctors.

After the unfortunate tragedy, Worli MLA Aditya Thackeray will raise the issue with the state government for providing the facilities at the Podar Ayurvedic Hospital, which comes under the AYUSH Ministry, and also for the Kamgar Hospital nearby.

A delegation of the Sena (UBT) leaders called on the hospital authorities who assured that they would also be pursuing the matter with the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on priority.

In protest against the death of Kale, all the doctors of the Poddar Ayurvedic College resorted to a strike which hit patient care. However, they relented after assurance from the authorities and called it off this evening, said Patil.