Vizag: In a shocking incident occurred in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, a policeman thrashed a doctor, tied his hands and dragged him on the road. The doctor was allegedly creating nuisance in public and abusing the state government in an inebriated condition.
Criticism pours in from opposition parties after the videos of a bare-chested Dr K Sudhakar, being kicked by a police constable and floored on the road, went viral on social media.
Last month Sudhakar, an anesthesiologist at Narsipatnam government hospital had alleged that the government was not providing an adequate number of PPE kits and N-95 masks to the doctors. Later he was suspended on disciplinary grounds.
The police constable in full public view tied Dr Sudhakar’s hands behind his back, beat him up and bundled him into an auto-rickshaw to take him to the police station.
According to Visakhapatnam police commissioner R K Meena, the constable who behaved rudely with the doctor was placed under suspension, pending an inquiry.
Meanwhile, the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), CPI and other parties condemned the incident saying that it was an inhuman treatment meted out to a Dalit doctor for questioning the inefficiency of the government.
They also alleged that the police and the ruling party leaders are trying to project him as a mentally challenged person to defend their action.
According to Hindustan Times, 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. He alleged that they 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.
Soon the video of his comments went viral in the media, and the state government ordered a probe into his allegations and suspended Sudhakar on disciplinary grounds.