Three policemen surrender in doctor attack case, doctors to withdraw strike

Maharashtra government on Friday informed the Bombay High Court that three policemen involved in an attack on a doctor in Solapur have surrendered, even as the state association of resident doctors in Mumbai said that it will soon withdraw its indefinite strike over the assault.

Nearly 4,000 resident doctors in Maharashtra went on an indefinite strike on Thursday demanding suspension of policemen who allegedly attacked their colleague on December 31. Taking suo motu cognisance of the strike, the court on Thursday had issued notices to the state government and Maharashta Association of Resident Doctors (MARD).

Government Pleader Prajakta Shinde informed Chief Justice Mohit Shah, who held a special sitting in the court on Friday to hear this matter, that the police inspector and two constables surrendered on Friday before a Solapur Judicial Magistrate First Class who had granted them interim bail. Dr Santosh Waghchore, President of MARD, also assured the court that MARD would call off its stir on the issue.

However, the Chief Justice asked MARD to call off the strike immediately, following which its President assured that they would hold a meeting on Friday itself and announce withdrawal of the stir.

The resident doctors alleged that the three policemen had forced a doctor who was busy with an emergency case at Solapur government hospital to attend to a pregnant woman who was in labour. When the doctor asked them to take the lady to gynaeac department, the policemen assaulted him.

The court asked the police and the government on Friday as to why no action had been taken against the policemen inspite of having CCTV camera footage of the incident. "If the officers are not arrested how will the doctors feel safe ?" asked the Chief Justice. The government also informed that the case had been transferred to CID and law would take its own course.

However, the court said that action should be taken against the guilty police immediately and they need not wait for the case to be transferred to State CID. The court noted that the authorities had CCTV footage of the incident and a prima facie cognisable case was made out against the guilty under Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institution Act 2010.