Doctor assaulted by woman at Chikkamagalur govt hospital, staff stage protest

CHIKKAMAGALUR: A senior doctor at the Aralaguppe Mallegowda district hospital in Chikkamagalur was assaulted by a woman, who alleged that the orthopaedic surgeon had used vulgar language against her.

Her younger brother was being treated by the doctor in the consultation room as an outpatient for injuries suffered in a group clash. The doctor, Venkatesh, appararently asked his family members, who were crowding the room to move out.

The doctor was treating the woman’s brother for injuries.

It is alleged that Dr Venkatesh used foul language against the woman when she came to give water to her brother, which he denied. The woman threw her footwear at the doctor and caught him by the scruff of the collar and created a scene before other staffers came to his rescue.

The hospital staff shut the OPD and staged a protest.

Following the incident, the hospital staff staged a protest after shutting down the outpatient department. They demanded that strict action should be taken against the woman for attacking the doctor. Due to this, a tense atmosphere prevailed at the hospital for some time.

After the assault, the district hospital surgeon Dr Mohan met the police superintendent at the latter’s office and lodged a complaint. He also pointed out to the lack of police security at the hospital which resulted in the assault and requested that additional police personnel be posted there.

Members of other oranisations also joined the health staff in their protest.

Meanwhile, various other organisations, including the auto drivers’ union, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike and Bajrang Dal, also joined the health staff in the protest in front of the town police station and demanded that the attackers should be arrested.