SEEKING REDRESSAL: Angry women at Nayapul Government Maternity Hospital pouring out their woes to DCP South Zone M. Kanta Rao on Thursday. — Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

HYDERABAD: The mysterious death of a woman, whose body was found hanging from a tree on the premises of the Government Maternity Hospital, set off a series of events in which hospital staff were attacked and the superintendent's office ransacked.

Enraged relatives of the woman, Sattemma, alleged that she was done to death by the hospital staff, after she witnessed attempts of the hospital staff to swap the male child of her daughter Padma.

The relatives were incensed that Sattemma was driven out of the ward where Padma and her new-born son were sleeping on Wednesday night.

Sattemma's body was found hanging from a tree on the hospital premises on Thursday morning. Relatives maintained that there was no reason for Sattemma to hang herself.

Office ransacked

They suspect that Sattemma was driven out of the ward only after she tried to prevent the staff from swapping her new-born grandson. They believe that she was `killed' and her body hanged only to ensure that the effort to do the baby-swap did not come out.

As emotions ran high, the relatives ransacked the superintendent's office and damaged the hospital furniture too.

In the free-for-all that ensued, mobs thrashed the hospital staff. Police had a tough time in calming the frayed tempers of the mob.

Meanwhile, local BJP leaders who came to the hospital staged a sit-in and prevented the police from shifting Sattemma's body to Osmania Hospital mortuary.

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