Protesting against the alleged beating of a doctor, placed in district hospital, by the brother of deputy speaker of State Assembly and his supporters, doctors in the district went on strike from Wednesday onward.
Accusing the police for not registering FIR against the accused even after the video footage clearly showed the incident. The doctors’ strike resulted in untold hardship to patients and their family members. Notably, around two years ago, supporters of the deputy speaker had also beaten district education officer S N Panda by forcibly entering into his chamber.
However, due to political pressure, neither education department officials gave importance to the incident nor the police initiated action against the accused who beat up Government official in broad daylight after entering his office. In the recent case, on the night of Monday last a person injured in an accident was admitted to Janjgir district hospital and after attending on him Dr Pratap Singh Kurre was returning to his chamber.
In the meantime, brother of Narayan Chandel, deputy speaker of Chhattisgarh Assembly, Shekhar Chandel along with a dozen of his supporters reached the hospital and beat up the doctor black and blue. And the entire footage of hooliganism was captured in the CC Camera installed there.
Expressing anger over the beating of the doctor health officials and medicos reached AJAK Thana to lodge complaint against the accused but the police refused to register the case. One Wednesday doctors of the district hospital observed strike in protest against inaction of the police and on Thursday doctors posted in all primary health centres, community health centres as well ad district hospital and private clinics went on strike causing great inconvenience to patients.
Doctors union, Indian Medical Association’s president Dr K P Rathod, Civil Surgeon Dr V K Agrawal, Dr PC Jain and others expressed anguish over the police refusal to lodge complaint. They also submittede a memorandum addressed to chief minister Dr Raman Singh and demanded action against those indulged in beating.