Ayodhya BJP leader dies before reaching hospital; family blames barricades
What's the story
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader BD Dwivedi from Ayodhya died while being rushed to a hospital on Saturday.
His family has alleged their journey was delayed due to multiple city barricades.
Dwivedi started facing chest pain on Saturday morning, prompting his family to rush him to Shriram Hospital.
However, their vehicle was stopped at the Devkali barrier for over an hour despite pleas and calls to higher authorities.
Continued delays
Family's ordeal continues with further barricades
The family's ordeal didn't end at the Devkali barrier. They faced more barriers on their way to the hospital, delaying their journey further.
Hoping to reach medical help faster, they took a different route through Ram Path but were stopped again at Udaya Chauraha.
They then decided to head toward the district hospital in Faizabad. But by then, two hours had passed, and Dwivedi died before reaching medical care.
Family's statement
'Not reaching hospital in time caused my father's death'
"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," Dwivedi's son Rahul said.
"We were not in a position to even wait for the ambulance, as ambulances were also taking one to two hours to reach us," he added.
Official response
BJP unit criticizes administration, mayor promises action
Diwakar Singh, media in-charge of the Ayodhya BJP unit, called Dwivedi's death "extremely painful." He slammed the local administration for giving preference to outsiders over locals.
Following the incident and the criticism, Ayodhya Mayor Girish Pati Tripathi has announced that ambulances will be stationed at different city locations for emergencies.
Tripathi also attended Dwivedi's cremation and visited his home on Sunday after the tragedy.