In a shoking incident near historic Charminar Ramzan Bi, a footpath-dweller near Makkah Masjid set herself ablaze right at the doorsteps of the Charminar police station, collapsed after suffering major burns and was shifted to hospital only after a full 40 minutes. The incident took place on Monday evening. Some of the cops were even seen taking pictures of the woman even as a big crowd gathered to watch the ‘spectacle.’ The woman succumbed at the Osmania General Hospital with 90 per cent burns.
Police indifference towards the plight of the common man was on full display.
According to Charminar inspector Shyam Babu, Ramzan Bi was addicted to sniffing whitener, petrol, while her husband Khader is an auto driver. The victim used to seek alms in the surrounding areas of the mosque and sleep in front of shops opposite the place of worship.
On Monday at about 5.15 pm, Ramzan Bi set herself ablaze using petrol while sitting right in front of Charminar. Shocked passersby started screaming for help and nearby shopkeepers quickly doused the flames by throwing water.
After a long delay, police shifted Ramzan to Osmania General Hospital in an auto where she succumbed to injuries at about 6.15 pm. Though the incident happened right in front of the police station, located a stone’s throw away from Charminar, it took police about 40 minutes to shift the victim to OGH.
However, the Charminar inspector claimed they responded fast and shifted the victim to hospital in readily available transport without waiting for an ambulance. “It took time to reach the hospital due to heavy traffic and crowded streets,” the inspector said. Police are yet to ascertain the reason for the suicide. A case was booked under Section 174 (suspicious death) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
With Times Input