The shocking squabble between a senior teacher of the SCB Medical College and a police inspector of the city over illegal parking, which led to a road blockade in the college hospital on Friday night by some medicos, was pacified on Saturday by the intervention of cty DCP Sanjiv Arora.
“Two cases, one each by the concerned police inspector and the doctor, have been registered in this connection and investigations into them are on,” Arora said, adding that efforts were on to streamline traffic in the hospital campus.
Police said trouble began on Friday afternoon when the college nephrology department head Chittaranjan Kar refused to remove his car that was illegally parked in front of the department. When insisted by police, Kar abused the additional IIC of the local Managalabag police station and threatened to get the cop transferred within 24 hours to a remote district.
Basing on the cop’s complaint, the police registered a case against Kar booking him on the charges of wrongful restraint, using obscene words in public, obstructing public servant in discharge of public service, obstruction of public way and criminal intimidation.
Soon after Kar was booked and police wanted to tow the parked vehicle, some students of the college jumped into the fray and squatted around Kar’s car restraining the police from remove it. later late in the evening, the medicos blocked the main entrance of the hospital demanding immediate withdrawal of the case against Kar and an unconditional apology from the police inspector.
When the medicos and their associations stepped in to complicate the matter further, the Odisha Police Association (OPA) soon threw its weight behind the police officer on the ground that he was misbehaved by the doctor while performing his duties. “When students’ associations come together to stand behind the doctor, we will not sit idle,” said an OPA office-bearer.