Local BJP leader from Ayodhya Dr BD Dwivedi passed away in his car when he was being rushed to a hospital by his family, who claimed that they couldn't reach in time due to multiple barricades across the city.
However, the Mayor of Ayodhya Girish Pati Tripathi said that efforts are being made to arrange ambulances at various spots to meet medical emergencies.
Rahul, son of late BD Dwivedi, while narrating his ordeal, said, "We faced many hurdles crossing the barricades. I would say that not reaching the hospital in time caused the death of my father on Saturday, as it took two hours for us to reach the hospital. We were not in a position to even wait for the ambulance, as ambulances were also taking one to two hours to reach us."
According to relatives and family members, Dr BD Dwivedi (62) experienced chest pain and discomfort on Saturday morning, so he along with his wife, son and driver, attempted to go to the local Shriram Hospital in Ayodhya.
However, their vehicle was stopped at the Devkali barrier. The distressed family pleaded with the inspector and police officers present to open the barrier and also called the station in-charge and SSP, but their calls went unanswered.
Finally, after an hour and fifteen minutes, the barrier was opened, but Dr Dwivedi's vehicle couldn't proceed to the hospital due to multiple barriers along the way. They attempted a final route through Ram Path, reaching Udaya Chauraha, but were blocked again.
The family then headed towards the district hospital in Faizabad, but by then, two hours had passed, and Dwivedi passed away en route, the family members and relatives said.
Reacting over Dwivedi's death, Diwakar Singh, the media in charge of the Ayodhya unit of the BJP, termed the incident as "extremely painful".
"The administration is only focusing on the outsiders. Had Dr Dwivedi been able to reach the hospital in time, the family would have at least felt satisfied," Singh said.
Meanwhile, Ayodhya's Mayor Girish Pati Tripathi, who visited the home of the deceased and attended his cremation on Sunday, said, "We are arranging ambulances on various spots in Ayodhya to meet the medical emergencies."
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