Succumbing to the pressure of striking doctors, police finally registered case against the brother of State Assembly Deputy Speaker and his 15 supporters under the sections of criminal assault and Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes Act. The police claimed that within a day or two the accused will be held after which doctors returned to their work on Sunday.
According to police, on last Sunday, Shekhar Chandel, brother of State Assembly Deputy Speaker Nanarayan Chandel and around a dozen of his 15 supporters had beaten up a doctor of Janjgir-Champa District Hospital Dr Pratap Singh Kurre black and blue allegedly for showing neglect in treatment of one of their supporters who had been injured in road accident. After assaulting the doctor, the accused fled from the spot and went underground.
On the other hand, all the doctors of government hospitals in the district as well as private clinics went on strike demanding registering case and arrest of the accused as the police initially seemed reluctant in registering case against the high profile person despite the fact that Dr Kurre and members of Indian Medical Association had tried to lodge a complaint under SC/ST Harassment (Prevention) Act.
When the police did not register the case, the doctors were on indefinite strike for the last seven days demanding registration of case and their arrest. After considering the inconvenience to public and growing resentment among the masses the police finally relented on Saturday.
Janjgir Thana In-charge Vijay Tiwari said that a case has been registered against Chandel and his 15 supporters for assaulting the doctor and sections of SC/ST Act have also been imposed against the accused. These sections are non bailable. The police are registering the statements of witnesses.
Janjgir-Champa Superintendent of Police Arif Sheikh said that case has been registered against the accused of assaulting the doctor under SC/ST Act sections of which are non-bailable. Arrest of the accused would be made within a day or two as police are registering the statement of witnesses.
Meanwhile, district president of Medical Officers Association Dr P P Jain warned that if police failed to arrest the accused and not presented challan in court then the doctors fraternity would be forced to go for extended agitation.