Toddler dies as poor road delays access to hospital
Times of India | 18 July 2025
Midnapore: A two-and-a-half-year-old girl who choked while being fed milk at her home in Kakra Mohanpur village in Debra block died on Thursday, allegedly after a delay in reaching the hospital due to poor road conditions. In protest, locals tied up a BJP village council member to a tree, demanding accountability from the administration. The child was identified as Susmita Murmu.
Locals said a similar tragedy occurred a few days back when an elderly man, Badal Mandi, died after failing to get timely treatment due to the poor condition of the roads.
Tension rose on Thursday afternoon when BJP panchayat member Abhijit Singh visited the child's home. Villagers tied him to a tree and said he would not be released until someone from the administration arrived. They blamed both local netas and govt for not repairing the road despite repeated requests.
Panchayat pradhan Pinku Sona Panda, a TMC functionary, said, "Due to continuous rainfall, repair work could not begin. Preparations are complete, and work will start soon.
"Debra BDO Priyabrata Radhi said, "The child died while being fed at home. She was declared dead at the hospital. The issue of the road is being raised afterwards". Chief medical officer Soumya Sankar Sarangi added that the postmortem report would provide clarity.
BJP Ghatal district president Tanmoy Das said the protest reflected public frustration. "The council head is from Trinamool. The road has been in poor condition for some time. One person has already died due to this. Since our member went to the village, people protested. This reflects administrative failure". Villagers even threatened to lock the village council office unless the road was repaired. Council officials later arrived at the scene and rescued the panchayat member. A meeting has been scheduled at the village office on Friday on the issue.