MP: Demanding treatment by upper caste person, patients' kin 'assault' doctor from Scheduled Tribe

In Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district, a doctor belonging to Scheduled Tribe community has alleged that he was assaulted by relatives of two patients who wanted them to be treated by an "upper caste" person, PTI reported.

AFP PHOTO / REPRESENTATIONAL

JABALPUR: In Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district, a doctor belonging to Scheduled Tribe community has alleged that he was assaulted by relatives of two patients who wanted them to be treated by an "upper caste" person, PTI reported. The doctor, Geetesh Ratre has said in his complaint at Garha Police Station here that the incident took place on Friday when two women injured in an accident were brought to the government-run Subhash Chandra Medical College 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," PTI quoted Khan as saying. When Dr Ratre told him that he belonged to a Scheduled Tribe community, the relatives demanded that the treatment of the two injured women must be carried out by an "upper caste" doctor, the police official told PTI. Later an argument broke out between the doctor and the relatives, during which Ratre was manhandled. 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. A search is on to nab the accused, he added.