People roar against hospital statement over delivery by woman in ICU

Imphal: People rose up with tones of questions over delivery of ‘foetus’ (baby) on Saturday by an 8-month pregnant woman at the ICU of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, who has been criticalliy suffering suffocation from tear gas fired during an agitation demanding to hand over Unified Command authority to Manipur government in Imphal on Thursday.

The hospital, in a Saturday statement, said a 1.5 kg dead fetus was delivered at 5 am and handed over to the father after consulting with the relatives. It informed her health condition as– her pulse rate was 119/min, BP was 128/75 mm Hg, SPO2 was 99%, and urine output was 1.6 liters in 24 hours. “She is on ventilator support, but the medication to maintain her BP has been adjusted.

The hospital appealed to the public not to spread rumors about the mother’s death, clarifying that although she remains in critical condition, “She is still alive”.

The woman, Laishram Ningol Sanjita Devi, 34, wife of Naorem Dipak of Kakwa Naorem Leikai, Imphal West, under Singjamei Police station, was admitted in critical condition.

An irate mob deposited the dead foetus at Singjamei Police Station, holding the police responsible for the incident. Tensions escalated outside the police station as a crowd gathered. The relatives and protestors demanded that if the mother is still alive, the police should hand her over along with the dead foetus; otherwise, they would refuse to accept the remains.

The officer-in-charge of the police station received the remains from the relatives and protestors for safe custody, in the presence of an executive magistrate.

The Joint Action Committee formed in connection with the incident questioned how a mother in critical condition could have delivered the fetus normally.

The irate mob blocked the Indo-Myanmar highway in front of Singjamei Police station. As the mob intensified the agitation setting tires and wooden logs on the road, combined state and central security forces fired tear gas and mock bombs.

Curfew has been shortened for two hours in Imphal to 2 pm.