Vizag cops thrash suspended doctor, tie his hands and drag him on road for allegedly creating nuisance
Visakhapatnam(HT): Visakhapatnam police on Saturday roughed up a doctor, tied his hands and dragged him on the road for allegedly creating nuisance in public and abusing the state government in an inebriated condition.
Videos of a bare-chested Dr K Sudhakar, being kicked by a police constable and floored on the road, went viral on social media, drawing criticism from the opposition parties.
Sudhakar, an anesthesiologist at Narsipatnam government hospital was suspended last month on disciplinary grounds for alleging the government was not providing an adequate number of PPE kits and N-95 masks to the doctors.
The police constable tied Dr Sudhakar’s hands behind his back and beat him up before bundling him into an auto-rickshaw to take him to the police station, in the presence of bewildered onlookers.
Visakhapatnam police commissioner R K Meena later announced that the constable who behaved rudely with the doctor was placed under suspension, pending an inquiry.
The opposition Telugu Desam Party, CPI and other parties condemned the incident, saying it reflected the law and order situation in the state.
“It was an inhuman treatment meted out to a Dalit doctor for questioning the inefficiency of the government. The police and the ruling party leaders are trying to project him as a mentally challenged person to defend their action,” TDP politburo member Varla Ramaiah alleged.
The police commissioner told reporters that the police control room had received a call stating that a person was creating nuisance on the highway at Akkayyapalem area. According to him, the fourth town police rushed to the place and ascertained that the person was Dr Sudhakar of Narsipatnam government hospital, presently under suspension.
“Sudhakar was in a drunken state and he behaved rudely with the police. He snatched the mobile phone from a constable and threw it away,” the commissioner said. “The doctor is apparently suffering from some psychological problems,” the police commissioner said.
Meena said the police took Dr Sudhakar into custody and shifted him to the police station to avoid inconvenience to the traffic on the national highway.
“We have sent him to King George Hospital for medical examination. After receiving the medical report, we shall book a case against Sudhakar under appropriate sections of Indian Penal Code,” the commissioner said.
In the first week of March, Sudhakar created a flutter by protesting before the media stating that the government was not providing them sufficient N-95 masks and the PPEs meant for doctors were being given to politicians and the police.
“We are asked to use the same mask for 15 days before asking for a fresh mask. How can we treat patients risking our lives?” he asked. As the video of his comments went viral in the media, the state government ordered a probe into his allegations and suspended Sudhakar on disciplinary grounds.