Warden’s dilemma: ‘Patient dies as ticket is written’

They family thrashed the warden and then staged a demonstration near Neela Gumbad, placing the body on the road.

LAHORE: An angry crowd held up traffic and beat up a warden on Thursday, claiming that a man being rushed to hospital died in a car while the warden was writing the family a ticket. Traffic police later suspended the warden and ordered an inquiry, but disputed the family’s claims about where the man died. According to the family, Falak Sher, 65, was being taken to Mayo Hospital when they were stopped at Neela Gumbad Chowk by warden Asif for jumping a red light. The family members pleaded with the warden to let them go so Sher could get critical care, but the warden refused and began writing up a challan. But before the family could get going again, Sher passed away in the car, said family members. They thrashed the warden and then staged a demonstration near Neela Gumbad, placing the body on the road. They claimed that Asif had held them up for over an hour. Asif said that he had stopped the car for 15 to 20 minutes and he had not thought there was anything wrong with Sher. Traffic police officials said that Sher had passed away after the car had left Neela Gulmbad to move on to the hospital. They said none of the protestors on the road were relatives of the deceased.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2011.