Woman claims security restrictions caused her child's death

A woman, whose son died allegedly because he could not be taken to hospital in time due to security restrictions during the Prime Minister’s visit here, has written a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi asking her to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

Usha Sharma and her husband Tasdud Hussain allege that they were stopped from taking their only child, eight-year-old Aman, who sustained serious head injuries after falling from a height at their home, to hospital by security personnel who had barricaded all major roads for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to IIT here on July 3.

The couple, residents of Shyam Nagar locality, claim that though they requested security persons to allow them to commute through Coca-Cola crossing which had been barricaded to facilitate the Prime Minister’s security cover, they were asked to take a longer route to the nearest hospital.

Aman, a student of Class II, bled to death on his way to the hospital.

In her letter to Ms. Gandhi, written on July 6, Ms. Sharma has requested the UPA Chairperson to make sure that in future security forces do not stop the injured from being taken to hospitals. She has also sought a compensation of Rs 10 lakh.

Additional District Magistrate Shailendra Kumar Singh told that some roads had been closed on July 3 in view of the Prime Minister’s visit to IIT in the city.

An inquiry has been ordered into the incident, he said.