Vol. 67 No. 126 | SATURDAY | FEBRUARY 24, 2024 | 33 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper HC calls for state affidavit on street care of patients URVI MAHAJANI / MUMBAI Taking serious note of victims of food poisoning being treated on the streets outside a hospital in Buldhana district owing to a shortage of beds, the Bombay High Court on Friday directed the state government to file an affidavit. The court direction came after Advocate Rohit Khanna pointed out a news report to a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor, which stated that around 600 persons from a village in Lonar in Buldhana district, who had suffered food poisoning reportedly after consuming ‘prasad’ at a religious event held there on February 20, were treated on the streets outside the hospital. News reports and videos showed patients being administered saline from IV units slung from ropes tied to trees. Khanna was appointed as amicus curiae (friend of court) by the court last year when it took suo motu (on its own) cognizance of patient deaths at two state-run hospitals in Nanded and Sambhajinagar, between September 30 and October 3, 2023. A batch For want of beds, food poisoning cases were administered medical care in the open; around 150 patients flocked to a 30-bed hospital for treatment reportedly after eating ‘prasad’ a religious at event on February 20 of petitions too were filed, raising concerns over the high number of deaths. On Friday Government , Pleader P P Kakade said preliminary reports indicated that on February 20 more than persons 200 took ill “after consuming prasad or something” from a temple. They were taken to rural hospitals. He said nearly 150 patients rushed to a 30-bed hospital. “There was a sudden influx. The situation was an emergency Treatment was admin. istered after some make-shift arrangements,” Kakade said. However, he emphasized, “There was medicine. There was staff. It is a very small CONTD. ON NATION hospital.” Manohar Joshi: A ‘Kohinoor Class’ all by himself S BALAKRISHNAN / MUMBAI I n the death of Manohar Joshi, 86, the Shiv Sena has lost a father figure, who had many a time tendered sage advice to the late supremo of the militant organisation founded by Bal Thackeray Because of his ex. cellent personal equation with other leaders like Sharad Pawar and the late A R Antulay and leading businessmen, like the late Ramkrishna Bajaj, he became the party’s chief interlocutor. Along with Pramod Navalkar and Chhagan Bhujbal, he formed the triumvirate which followed Bal Thackeray like a shadow. However, Bhujbal felt that Joshi was being given more weightage by Thackeray and he quit the party Navalkar was content . to write columns in newspapers. But it was the shrewd Joshi who had his eye on the CM’s chair. started his career as an He RSS swayamsevak in Dadar in the ’60s and like thousands of other middle-class Maha- During his tenure as the Lok Sabha Speaker, he strove to make parliamentary processes more vibrant and participative. Manohar Joshi Ji will also be remembered for his diligence as a legislator, having had the honour of serving in all four legislatures. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti – Narendra Modi, Prime Minister rashtrians, was drawn to the fiery speeches of ThackerBal ay who spoke about the injus, tice being done to Marathi ‘manoos’. Thackeray made it appear that Marathi people were not getting jobs because of the ‘lungiwalas’, a pejorative reference to south Indi- ans. He gave the call for ‘Bajao Pungi, Bhagao Lungi (blow the trumpet, throw out lungiwalas)’. This call found tremendous resonance among middle-class Maharashtrians like Joshi. It was Joshi’s idea to publish in the party weekly ‘Marmik’ lists of non-Marathi employees in various organisations like the Reserve Bank, State Bank of India, Life Insurance Corporation et al. Impressed by Joshi’s organisational and fund-raising capabilities, Thackeray gave him a ticket to contest the 1968 elections to the BMC. Joshi won the poll and that was the beginning of his electoral career. He went on to become a member of the legislative council, legislative assembly and then a Lok Sabha member. In between, he was elected as mayor of Mumbai. Interestingly he was an employee of , the BMC earlier. had strong business inHe stincts and embarked on the setting up of vocational guidance centres under the brand name ‘Kohinoor Classes’, which opened branches across Maharashtra. On realising that a real-estate boom was round the corner, he became a builder. When the Sena, in tandem with the BJP , secured a majority in 1995, Thackeray handpicked Joshi for the CM’s post. He was the first non-Congress CM and a Brahmin to boot. CONTD. ON NATION ‘Molestation’ charge at posh Bandra club S BALAKRISHNAN & CHARUL SHAH / MUMBAI T he posh Otters' Club in Bandra (W) is embroiled in a huge controversy A member has complained that a . staffer had sexually molested his minor son. The staffer has been arrested under POCSO and is currently in custody of the Bandra police station. The club secretary Sunil Motwani, has denied the inci, dent. A member of the club's disciplinary committee said on Friday that several weeks ago, the child had ordered food at the club. The food was late in coming and he went to the kitchen where the accused, who is a kitchen cashier, told him to step out. The accused is an employee of the catering contractor. However, the child reportedly refused, at which point the cashier jostled him out. CONTD. ON NATION