NASHIK: In a grim fallout of a police-led beggar eviction drive in Shirdi ahead of Ram Navami, four beggars admitted to the Ahilyanagar Civil Hospital have died within two days, prompting a probe into possible medical lapses and administrative negligence.
The deceased were among ten individuals shifted from a shelter home in Visapur, Srigonda taluka, to the civil hospital on April 6 after their health deteriorated. While four managed to escape during treatment and two remain under care, the hospital reported deaths between April 7 and 8.
Dr. Nagesh Chavan, Civil Surgeon of the hospital, confirmed the formation of a three-member probe committee to investigate the matter. “Initial examinations indicated alcohol intoxication, severe liver damage, and symptoms of withdrawal,” he said, adding that some patients displayed violent behavior and had to be restrained. “Despite medical intervention, one patient died on April 7, and three more followed on April 8. The victims were aged between 40 and 50,” he stated.
Viscera samples have been preserved for forensic testing, although postmortems have already been conducted.
The events unfolded after the Ahilyanagar police picked up around 50 beggars in Shirdi on April 4 as part of a pre-festival clean-up operation and relocated them to the Visapur shelter. Two days later, ten of them began showing signs of illness and were shifted to the civil hospital.
Ahilyanagar MP Nilesh Lanke, who visited the hospital Tuesday night, expressed concern over the handling of the situation. He demanded that the postmortems be redone at Ghati Hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for greater transparency. “Had timely medical care been provided, these lives could have been saved. The escape of four patients also signals serious negligence on the part of the authorities,” Lanke stated.
The incident raises tough questions about the ethics and preparedness of administrative drives targeting the homeless, and whether sufficient care measures are in place during such operations.
