Kolkata: More than 20 days after demonetisation move, announced on November 8 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, people are still dying while standing in serpentine queues.
On Saturday, (Demonetisation day 25) a man died while standing in a queue in front of an ATM outlet in West Bengal as the people's struggle for cash continued on the third day of the new month.
Kallol Roy Chowdhury, 52, collapsed in front of a State Bank of India ATM outlet outside Hooghly district's Bandel railway station, police said.
Roy Chowdhury, a resident of Behala in south Kolkata, was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
What disturbed many was the indifference shown by people in the queue when Roy Chowdhury collapsed.
Locals said he was left unattended for at least 30 minutes before the security guard at the ATM called a doctor, who advised them to take him to the closest hospital, where he was declared dead. Photographs showed people resolutely sticking to their spot in the queue and looking across at Roy Chowdhury who was supine next to them.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee later condoled the family of the deceased and indirectly blamed the Narendra Modi-led central government for the "unfortunate toll" in the nation post demonetisation.
"Unfortunate death toll continues... This morning Kallol Roy Chowdhury collapsed and died in front of SBI ATM at Bandel station," Banerjee tweeted.
"My condolences to the bereaved family. Is Modi babu listening?" she added.
Meanwhile, social activist Medha Patkar on Saturday urged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to rethink over his support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move, reiterating it was actually monetisation of the country's least developed communities to help the market and corporates.
"Nitish Kumar should rethink or reconsider his stand to support demonetisation," Patkar, National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) leader, told media at its 11th biennial National Convention here.
She said Nitish Kumar, who is president of the Janata Dal-United, should not have supported demonetisation. "This demonetisation has nothing to do with black money. People who had black money had invested in properties," she said, adding that black money will not end through the government's so-called demonetisation move.
She said this "monetisation" of least developed communities across the country by the government led by Modi to help markets and corporates is a dangerous trend for the people and the country.
Patkar said also said that the attack on democratic institutions have increased multifold since the Modi government came to power. "Modi government has been handing over natural resources to land to corporates by changing laws," she alleged.