PUNE: Three weeks have passed after it came to light that drug smuggler Lalit Patil was operating a drug racket from Sassoon Hospital and his escape and re-arrest. In this case, 10 police personnel were suspended and along with the doctors, the entire system is under a cloud. Unfortunately, apart from Deputy Chairperson of Legislative Council Neelam Gorhe and Congress MLA Ravindra Dhangekar, remaining seven MLAs have kept mum on the incident. What is surprising is that they are in power but they have not been able to take a stand on the issue.
Drug smuggler Lalit Patil, who was undergoing treatment at the Sassoon Hospital for nine months, escaped on October 2. What is surprising is that a few hours earlier, an employee of Sassoon Hospital and another person were arrested for selling Mephedrone worth ₹2 crore at the entrance of Sassoon Hospital. It came to light that Patil was operating the racket from Sassoon Hospital. However, Patil had escaped from the hospital thanks to the blessings of the police and the administration of Sassoon Hospital.
The political atmosphere got heated up after this incident. Congress MLA Ravindra Dhangekar and Deputy Leader of Shiv Sena Sushma Andhare and journalists highlighted many lacuna in ward number 16 of Sassoon Hospital. Evidence was handed over to the police that Patil was staying in a hotel even he was in police custody and he was being supplied with call girls. An investigation by the police revealed that the evidence was accurate and the number of those arrested in the case went on increasing.
The shoddy working of Sassoon Hospital, Yerawada Jail administration and the police administration was exposed. A corrupt face of the police which fine a two-wheeler rider even if he stops on the zebra crossing and Sassoon Hospital which forces people to buy medicines from outside, has been revealed. Another disturbing fact came to light i.e. complete silence of seven MLAs of BJP and NCP (Ajit Pawar group) on the issue. Puneites are irked by the behaviour of these MLAs on this issue.
The lifestyle of Pune which was famous as an educational, industrial and IT hub, has changed. Puneites used to go to sleep at 9 pm once upon a time but now the city is awake throughout the night. The pub culture has taken strong roots in Koregaon Park, Kalyani Nagar, Viman Nagar, Mundhwa, Kharadi, Raja Bahadur Mill Road, Baner, Balewadi, Mohammadwadi and even in areas like Ambegaon Pathar. Under the guise of hookah parlours, the drug trade started flourishing. Roof top restaurants have sprung up everywhere and they are favourite joints of the young generation. Pune, which was the cultural capital of the state, started falling prey to the western culture. Some MLAs asked questions in the state assembly but no follow-up was done. Nobody knows who is the owner or partner of the pub or roof top restaurants. Hence, bribes, extortion and addictions became common. It has come to light that drug smugglers like Patil have ruined the health system at Sassoon Hospital, which is mainly visited by poor patients.
However, the MLAs are keeping themselves away from the Lalit Patil drug racket, which is destroying the foundation of our society. Apart from Dhangekar, no MLA has submitted a memorandum to the police, asked questions to the guardian minister and spoken to the media.
Some MLAs have been appointed as observers for elections in other states. When Pune is facing such a serious problem, the MLAs are following the party’s diktat to win elections in other states. Many people feel that since the MLAs are keeping mum where their party is in power, Pune’s reputation is getting tarnished and culture is getting eroded.
