Srinagar: A senior cardiologist of SHMS hospital alleged that he was thrashed and lodged in a police station for several hours after being stopped by police while he was on way to hospital in the summer capital, Srinagar.
Meanwhile, Doctors Association of Kashmir (DAK), while condemning the thrashing of the doctor, said that strict action should be taken against the police personnel responsible for the incident so that no such events are repeated.
Dr Syed Maqbool, who is interventional cardiologist at SHMS hospital, Srinagar, also alleged that he was threatened that he would be stripped naked and ruthlessly thrashed if he continued his appeal to be release from Zadibal Police station in downtown Srinagar on Saturday.
“You doctors are thieves indulged only in selling duplicate medicines and taking commissions. You people are good for nothing, this government is mad, what all is being done is done by police,” this according to the doctor was told to him by the Station House Officer (SHO) of Zadibal Police Station while he was detained there for several hours.
Giving details, Dr Maqbool said, “On May 23 morning while I was crossing the Hawal chowk towards my hospital for my duties (on this day I was the cardiologist on call for SMHS and all associated hospitals). I was stopped by a constable and asked to turn back and go through some other way despite showing him my I-card/duty roaster and the big plus mark on my car.”
“I requested him to allow me as I was already getting late due to traffic jam there. However, he started abusing me and said that it doesn’t matter if I was a doctor,” he alleged.
Dr Maqbool said after this, he came down of the vehicle and asked to speak to a senior officer hoping that he would understand. “But, he (Constable) hit my belly with his baton and in the mean time the SHO came running and dragged me to the police station,” he alleged.
The doctor said as soon as he entered the police station, the SHO snatched his phone and I-card. “I repeated requests him to call my Head of the Department (HOD), SHMS and GMC Principle as I was on call and had to deal with all emergencies. To this he replied that let the patients and hospital go to hell, I don’t care. You doctors are thieves indulged only in selling duplicate medicines and taking commissions. You people are good for nothing, this government is mad, what all is being done is done by police,” he further alleged
He said ‘seeing his arrogance and knowing that patients will suffer and may die, I apologised many a times and asked to make a call this HOD and ask him to make alternate arrangements’.
“To this, he told me that if you say anything more I will strip you off your clothes and beat you to hell. I did not give up and repeatedly asked for my cell phone and then at 1600 hrs I was allowed to make a call to my colleagues for arranging someone to take care of patients. But, he said that if I tell them that I was in Zadibal Thana, he will strip me naked and put him behind bars. I had to tell my colleague that I am caught up in an emergency at home,” he said.
“At 1800 hrs, he released me on ‘Zamanat’ when my brother came to Thana, because my family was not able to contact me and somehow they came to know that I have been put in police station,” the doctor alleged.
Dr Maqbool said he did not release his vehicle, which is still lying in the police station. “Because by vehicle was in the police station, I had to walk to my hospital and take care of the rest of my emergency calls. This is a life time torture I have ever received for performing my duties and that too during COVID-19,” he said.
“His (SHO’s) arrogance did not deter me from performing my duties and I worked for whole night that day till 0100 hrs next day despite Eid and took care of all my sick patients,” he said.
“When whole world is saluting doctors, this is what we are receiving in J&K. I am a senior interventional cardiologist, who has represented state and country at multiple and national and international forums with multiple awards to my credit, and if this is the behavior with me what will our juniors face at this time when whole world is dealing with a deadly disease killing thousands daily,” he asked.
Reacting to the incident, DAK president Nisar-ul-Hassan said this particular case is more worrisome as the doctor, who was thrashed and detained, was on emergency duty.
“Under these situations, doctors are risking their lives and come out of their homes to treat patients in hospitals to save the live in the crises of COVID-19. There should be hassle free movement of doctors and paramedical staff…There has been instances where police has been stopping them while doctors were on way to hospitals,” Dr Hassan told UNI.
“This particular case is more worrisome as the doctor, who was thrashed and detained, was on emergency duty. He was a cardiologist on call for SHMS hospital that day so patients might have suffered because of his detention for few hours. “Hassle free movement of doctors should be allowed so that they can reach hospitals and save lives as time is of essence when it comes to treating patients,” he added.
UNI ABS
