Kullu: More than a month after Himachal Pradesh govt suspended a gynaecologist and a staff nurse over the alleged medical negligence that led to a woman’s death at Regional Hospital, Kullu, the victim’s family and local residents intensified their protest on Monday, alleging that justice remains elusive and demanding the resignation of health minister Dhani Ram Shandil.Hundreds of people assembled at Rath Maidan in Kullu town before marching to the deputy commissioner’s office, where they staged a protest demanding a fresh and impartial probe into the death of 23-year-old Manju Sharma.The protesters sought strict action against all the accused and the resignation of the health minister.Talks with the district officials remained inconclusive, as demonstrators refused to withdraw their protest.The deceased’s husband, Satish Sharma, alleged that the inquiry report had “silenced“ the case and that no meaningful action had followed despite the govt’s earlier assurances. “The inquiry report is not fair. We have been left with no option but to sit on an indefinite hunger strike,” he said.Leading the protest, social activist Baldev Thakur said the agitation had now become a movement for accountability in the state’s healthcare system.“This is not merely about justice for Manju Sharma. It is about fixing a healthcare system where negligence goes unpunished. One doctor from this hospital is under suspension and another has been arrested in a murder case. Both these posts should be filled immediately by the govt,” he said, demanding sweeping reforms, greater transparency and accountability in govt hospitals.The protesters warned that the agitation would be expanded across Himachal Pradesh if the govt failed to respond to their demands.The fresh protest comes despite the state govt suspending gynaecologist Dr Anu Devi on June 30 pending an inquiry into the woman’s death, following widespread outrage.Manju Sharma, 23, of Bali Chowki in Mandi’s Seraj region, died on June 21, a day after undergoing a caesarean section at hospital. Her family alleged that repeated complaints about her deteriorating condition were ignored by the nursing staff, who dismissed them as “drama”. Besides the departmental inquiry, the Kullu administration also ordered a magisterial probe.
