Patna, (Bihar Times): Three photographers of different
national dailies were injured, one of them seriously,
when they were beaten up by the doctors, para-medic
staff and other employees of the Patna Medical College
Hospital on Thursday. The incident occurred after a
verbal duel over taking snaps of the patients and
condition in the hospital. The doctors opposed the
action of the lensmen on the plea that they could do
so only after taking prior permission from the
hospital authorities.
After the heated exchange of words came the use of
iron rods, hockey sticks, stones etc. Junior doctors
and medicos from hostels, ably backed by other
employees bashed up the three lensmen and even
attendants of the patients. The three photographers
were then taken hostage. It was much later that they
were rescued by police from nearby Pirbahore police
station.
The seriously injured Deepuraj of Hindi daily
Hindustan was later taken to a private nursing home in
a critical condition. He has been referred to the
intensive care unit of the nursing home.
What started as alleged attack on Deepuraj and two
other photographers of Rashtriya Sahara Nagendra and
Indrajeet soon turned into PMCH staff versus the rest.
The battle spilled over to the main Ashok Rajpath,
second time in four days. Some of the stones pelted by
the PMCH employees fell on the roof of a mosque across
the road. Even some roadside vendors and shops were
hit. This led to the protest by the people who
blocked the road. It was only after much persuasion
that the blockade could be removed.
Local people alleged that the police remained a mute
spectator. Only on Monday last the junior doctors went
on warpath when a police party led by the Deputy
Superintendent of Police entered the PMCH campus to
identify those involved in the clash with the
attendants of a patient on Sunday. Then too the junior
doctors said that the police could enter only after
seeking permission from the PMCH authorities.
The Monday strike was called off on the intervention
of the Chief Minister and on the request of the PMCH
authorities that a Medical Council of India team is
here on a two-day inspection of the hospital. However,
just after the team left the situation once again
turned ugly.
An FIR was lodged against nine persons, including
Superintendent of PMCH, Dr O P Chaudhary, Deputy
Superintendent, R K Singh, Chief Consultant Officer, C
M Jha with Pirbahore Police Station. They have been
charged with issuing directives to junior doctors to
assault the photo-journalist. This was the sixth
incident of assault by junior doctors in the past one
month.
The chief minister has asked the health minister, Nand
Kishore Yadav, to get the whole incident inquired
within three days. Yadav, however, is leading a revolt
against the Deputy Chief Minister, Sushil Kumar Modi,
and is living most of the time in Delhi.
