A night-long search for medical help ended in heartbreak for a Bengaluru family after a 34-year-old garage mechanic died following alleged apathy from hospitals, emergency services and passersby.
Venkataramanan, a resident of Balaji Nagar, developed severe chest pain around 3.30am. His wife rushed him on a motorcycle to seek urgent treatment, but the journey soon turned into a nightmare.
According to his wife, the couple was turned away from two hospitals in succession. At the first, she was told no doctor was on duty. At the second, they were allegedly advised to take him elsewhere after being told he had suffered a stroke. Ambulance services, she said, failed to respond in time.
“Humanity failed to help my husband. I was covered in blood, pleading for help, but no one came,” she told NDTV, recounting the ordeal that followed.
While travelling between hospitals, the couple met with an accident. CCTV footage later showed Venkataramanan lying injured on the road as his wife folded her hands and begged passing vehicles to stop. None did for several minutes.
The wait ended when a cab driver finally pulled over and rushed him to a nearby hospital. Doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Despite the devastating loss, the family chose to donate Venkataramanan’s eyes, allowing his death to restore sight to others. “Humanity failed, but we did our bit by donating his eyes,” his wife told NDTV.
The tragedy has left the family shattered. Venkataramanan’s mother, who had already lost her other children, struggled to find words. “I have no words. I don’t know what to say. My son is gone,” she said.
His mother-in-law questioned the system’s response to medical emergencies. “The government should understand a health emergency. My daughter is left with two children. Who will look after them?” she asked.
Venkataramanan is survived by his wife, his mother, and two young children — a five-year-old son and an 18-month-old daughter. The incident has sparked fresh questions about emergency healthcare access, ambulance response and public responsibility in India’s tech capital.
Several users on X said that humanity is dead. A user wrote, “This is not merely a failure of medicine or systems, but a deep collapse of human conscience.”
Another user on X wrote, “Shame on us. What are we proud of if we don't even value a fellow citizen's life.”
“This is our india, nobody will help they will only watch the scene, if you have money or power then you can save the lives or else you should be in politics," the third wrote on X.
