Trainee doctors, medicos block Poonamallee Road
Tension prevailed at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGH) on Thursday as trainee doctors and post-graduate medical students along with other doctors blocked the arterial Poonamallee Road demanding action against some persons who assaulted a few doctors on duty. Patients and their attendants also protested inside the hospital, condemning the agitating medical doctors.
A heavy posse of police personnel was deployed to bring the situation under control. Additional Commissioners of Police M.C. Sarangan and A.K. Singh and other officials rushed to the spot. The agitating trainee doctors and PG medical students squatted on the road and refused to budge for nearly two hours even as the top police officials tried to pacify them. Since it was peak hour, traffic was crippled on the arterial road and the public had to suffer.
It all began with admission of Vijayan (21), a student in a private engineering college in Melmaruvathur. Some of his family members and friends, numbering around 20, reportedly barged into the ward he was admitted at 4.30 p.m. Reportedly, he had posted some derogatory message against the college administration on social media and the suspicion was that he was beaten up by someone working in the college.
Dean’s complaint
The FIR said a case had been registered based on the complaint given by the Dean of RGGH on behalf of trainee doctors/PG medical students. They said while they were on duty, the relatives and friends barged into the ward.
First, a duty nurse and then doctors opposed their entry.
They told them that all but one person would have to move out of the ward. Infuriated over this, the visitors abused them. Trainee doctors — Raguram and Aftab — politely asked them why they were behaving in such an aggressive manner. The visitors manhandled another doctor Vinodha.
Later a scuffle ensued between them. In the melee, the crew of a few television channels, who came to the spot, were roughed up.
Angry trainee doctors and PG medical students rushed to the old Dean office, where a section of doctors/ students was on protest demanding the release of a senior medical professor Dr. Sudheer, who was lodged in Lucknow jail based on a fabricated case.
All of them suddenly blocked the road in front of the Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital and squatted on the road, demanding action against the persons who attacked them.
Police personnel had a tough time convincing them to disperse from the spot. Only after an assurance was given by the police officers, the doctors agreed to move away from the road and continue the protest inside.
Two-tier security sought
P. Balakrishnan, State secretary of the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors’ Association, told The Hindu, “We demanded that the police ensure such incidents do not recur. The safety and security of doctors should be guaranteed. The police should provide a two-tier security system here.”
The police booked a case against the attackers for offences, including rioting, wrongful restraint and voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the T.N. Medical Service Persons and Medical Service Institution (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property Act. 2008.
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