UP cops forcibly take doctor on emergency duty to treat SSP's mother; 2 suspended

Etawah: A controversy erupted here after a police team allegedly forcibly took an on-duty doctor of Etawah District Hospital to the residence of a Senior Superintendent of Police around midnight to treat the officer's ailing mother, following which two constables were suspended and a probe ordered.

After the medical staff shut down the hospital's OPD in protest on Thursday, SSP Brijesh Kumar Srivastava, addressing the media, clarified that he had asked the police to bring a private doctor, not a government hospital doctor.

He expressed dismay over his personnel's actions and stated that a probe has been initiated and handed over to the City Circle Officer. In the interim, constables Aniruddh Sahu and Hitesh Verma were suspended on Thursday for their alleged involvement in the incident.

According to Dr Rahul Babu and pharmacist Sharad Yadav, who were on duty at the time in the district hospital's emergency ward, police personnel, including a sub-inspector and three to four constables, went to the emergency ward of Etawah District Hospital around midnight and demanded that they accompany them to the SSP's residence to treat his mother after she fell ill on Wednesday night.

Narrating the ordeal, Babu told reporters that he refused, explaining that he could not abandon his post with several patients waiting for care. He suggested that another staff member could go, but the police allegedly became abusive.

"The sub-inspector was disrespectful, snatched my mobile phone, and forcibly took me with them," Babu said on Thursday.

He said that the police returned later to apologise on the SSP's instructions.

On Thursday, doctors and medical staff, supported by the pharmacists' union, protested the incident by shutting down the hospital's OPD. This action caused inconvenience to patients and their families.

After learning of the protest, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Brajendra Kumar Singh rushed to the hospital. Speaking to the media on Thursday, the CMO condemned the police's actions, saying, "Some incidents cannot be forgiven. The guilty police personnel should be punished." Following assurances, the OPD services were resumed.