Stampede survivor runs from pillar to post for compensation
ORDEAL: The 19-year-old lives close to the station, alleges KEM docs ignored her
After fortunately surviving the fatal stampede on the Elphinstone Road station bridge, the ordeal of 19year-old Shilpa Vishwakarma began as she ran from pillar to post to prove herself a survivor eligible for cash compensation meant for the injured persons.
Vishwakarma’s name figured on the list of eye-witness to the gory incident and Dadar city police even recorded her statement. She was denied monetary help even after being treated along with other victims at the King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEM) hospital, where the list of deceased and survivors was compiled.
After doing the rounds and meeting several railway officials, Vishwakarma was finally given Rs 50,000 in cash as compensation following her request for monetary help during an inquiry conducted in presence of railway officials.
It then came to the fore that a shocked Vishwakarma rushed to her home which is located 10 minutes away from the station. “I visited KEM hospital only a day after the incident with no proper treatment to my wounds on her arm and back,” said Vishwakarma.
She was waiting for at least 30 minutes after being dragged out from the heap of people lying unconscious. “I was crying incessantly and with no medical aid coming my way, I decided to walk to my residence which is ten minutes away from the spot,” Vishwakarma told the Free Press Journal.
A check-up at the hospital revealed that there were blood clots on her liver as she was lying on the stairs with at least four persons atop her. Vishwakarma had suffered injuries on her hands, back and legs after which she went for treatment at KEM hospital on September 30. “None of the doctors at the hospital cleaned my wound or prescribed medicines for my injuries. The sonography also showed that I suffered clots in my liver and was asked to leave without any treatment. They never believed that I suffered these clots due to the stampede,” added Vishwakarma.
The victim hails from a humble background and needed monetary help to pay her medical bills. The doctors at KEM also refused to provide her with compensatory form that was needed to be filled for claiming the money. “I was told that no compensatory forms are being issued and there was no need of one. The doctors also did not give me an injection and was I asked to leave even before he could hear my financial background,” said Vishwakarma.
When Avinash Supe, Dean of KEM hospital, was contacted, he said that the list of injured persons were prepared by the doctors of those victims who were admitted to the hospital on the day of stampede. “It is the prerogative of the railways to look after the status of compensation to be handed over to victims of the stampede. It becomes difficult to identify the victim of the stampede who comes to us for treatment a day after the incident,” added Supe.