Pune's gold man' Datta Phuge beaten to death in front of son

Bengaluru, Jul 31: An ambulance driver was thrashed by the family members of a 75-year-old COVID-19 patient who passed away on his way to the hospital in Bengaluru on Thursday.

The incident happened after the patient died in the ambulance while waiting in front of the MS Ramaiah Hospital in Bengaluru.

The driver was dragged out of the ambulance and chased around by a relative.

His clothes were ripped off and harangue were hurled at him. The relative was seen shouting and blaming the driver for the patient's death.

Speaking to news agency, the driver said that he was unable to explain the sequence of the protocol which was to be followed while getting the patient to the treatment ward.

Karnataka is one of the worst-affected states by the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the state has 67,456 active cases as of Friday.

The state government has been struggling to contain the spread of the disease as it has intermittently imposed and eased lockdown measures, especially in the capital Bengaluru.

Chennai, July 27: Multi-lingual actress Vijayalakshmi, who attempted suicide yesterday, alleging harassment and bullying by followers of Naam Thamizhar party leader Seeman and Panankattu Padai’s Hari Nadar, is recuperating at a hospital in Chennai. 

Vijayalakshmi is known for films like Friends and Boss Engira Baskaran. She recently made headlines for speaking against Seeman and the torture she was allegedly facing from the actor-turned-politician and his party.

In the video which was uploaded on Sunday evening, Vijayalakshmi said, “This is my last video and I have been in tremendous stress in the last four months because of Seeman and his partymen. I tried my level best to survive all these days because of my mother and sister, but I have been humiliated in the media by Harinadar recently.”

She added, “I would like to tell fans who are watching the video just because I was born in Karnataka, Seeman has tortured me a lot. As a woman, I have put up with it to my highest capabilities. I won’t be able handle the pressure anymore. I am from the Pillai community, the same community LTTE leader Prabhakaran is part of. Prabhakaran is the only reason Seeman is who he is today, but now he has been harassing me on social media continuously. You slut shamed me to make me feel the pain and it is up to me to decide on what to do after facing such insults from you. I request my fans not to let Seeman get away from this case. He should never get anticipatory bail. My death should be a big eye-opener to everyone. I don’t want to be a slave to anybody.”