Demanding an Upper Caste Person, Patient’s Kin Assault ST Doctor

A doctor belonging to Scheduled Tribe said that he was beaten up by relatives of two patients in MP’s Jabalpur.

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A doctor belonging to Scheduled Tribe community has alleged that he was beaten up by relatives of two patients in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur. The police said that the relatives wanted the patients to be treated by an "upper caste" person.

Garha Police Station in-charge S Khan said Dr Geetesh Ratre has complained that the incident took place on Friday when two women injured in an accident were brought to the government-run Subhash Chandra Medical College here around 7:30pm.

Dr Ratre was on duty in the Emergency department and he directed the medical staff to start treatment immediately. However, a mob of about a dozen people, comprising relatives and acquaintances, reached there and asked Dr Ratre his name and caste.

S Khan, Police Station incharge, Garha

When Dr Ratre told him that he belonged to a Scheduled Tribe community, the accused started demanding that only an "upper caste" doctor treat the two injured women, the police official said.

An altercation ensued over this, during which Ratre was manhandled, Khan said, adding that the people then took away the two injured women from the hospital.

"On the doctor's complaint, we have registered a case against these people under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly using casteist remarks and under relevant section of the IPC for obstructing a government staff from doing his duty," the police official said, adding a search is on to nab the accused.