Mumbai While reports of doctors being assaulted by relatives of patients are common, the Kurla police on Sunday arrested a doctor for allegedly assaulting a journalist who was inquiring about claims of medical negligence made by a patient’s mother.
According to the Kurla police, the incident occurred at the New Noor Hospital in Kurla (West) at around 11.30pm on Saturday. The police said that a Sayyed Zain, journalist with an online news portal, reached the hospital premises to work on a report.
Zain had been approached by a woman who claimed that she had brought her 11-month-old daughter for treatment to the hospital but had been turned away. After interviewing her and her family, Zain reached the hospital to seek a reaction from the authorities as well as record visuals of the hospital.
“Zain and his colleagues were taking visuals of the hospital gate and premises as part of the news report when Dr Asif Khan and three other staffers accosted them. They tried to stop the journalists from taking the visuals and this led to an argument,” said assistant commissioner of police Govind Gambhire, Kurla division.
As the argument escalated, Khan and the others allegedly assaulted Zain, who started bleeding from his face. His two colleagues, including a woman journalist, were also manhandled, Zain told the police in his statement.
Zain then contacted some other journalists from the area, who rushed to the spot and took him to Sion hospital for treatment. The Kurla police was also informed and a team was sent to the hospital to conduct inquiries.
“We have arrested Khan and are working on apprehending the other three accused, who are currently wanted. All accused have been charged with assault, criminal intimidation and assault or criminal force to outrage a woman’s modesty,” Gambhire said.
Zain was treated for his injuries and discharged from the hospital late on Sunday morning.
“I would like to thank everyone who stood by me when I needed them. One accused has already been arrested and others will hopefully be nabbed soon. If the allegations of negligence against them are true, they should face the strictest action for that as well,” Zain told HT.
Senior police inspector Ravindra Howale, Kurla police station said that the allegations of medical negligence were being investigated.
“The hospital authorities have said that the woman’s daughter was facing some issues which could be treated better at a peadiatric hospital, while New Noor is a general hospital. Hence, she was asked to go to a paediatric hospital. We are probing this aspect separately,” Howale said.