AP High Court orders CBI probe into Vizag doctor's manhandling

Sudhakar, a senior government doctor caught in politics of accusations and counters, is now in mental asylum

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has on Friday ordered a CBI probe into an incident where a suspended government doctor was allegedly manhandled by the Visakhapatnam police. The court has asked to book the policemen involved and sought a report within eight weeks.

Last Saturday, Dr K Sudhakar created a ruckus on a busy road in Visakhapatnam in an inebriated condition. In videos that went viral on social media, the physician was seen abusing the passersby from his car’s driving seat. Prancing on the road later blocking the traffic, he used expletives on the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Dr Sudhakar, an anaesthetician at the Narsipatnam area hospital, was suspended in April by the Jaganmohan Reddy government for reportedly making false accusations that COVID-19 protective gear is not made available at the hospital for the health workers.

Though police said that Dr Sudhakar was uncontrollable, behaved rudely and even smashed one of their mobile phones, the visuals of the bare-chested doctor pinned to the road, his hands tied back and later bundled away in an autorickshaw to a government hospital created a furore. A traffic cop who hit him with a baton was suspended.

Opposition leader Chandrababu Naidu criticized the Reddy government as being vengeful towards a physician, who is also a Dalit.

After police filed charges under IPC sections 353 (assaulting or forcefully deterring public servants from discharging duties) and 427 (mischief causing damage), Dr Sudhakar was shifted to Visakhapatnam government mental hospital and is under treatment for acute and transient psychosis.

A TDP leader and former Payakaraopeta MLA Vangalapudi Anitha wrote to the AP high court and stated that the doctor has injury marks on his body. The court which took up the matter suo moto had ordered the Visakhapatnam sessions court judge to record the doctor’s statement which was taken on Thursday. The Friday order is based on the statement.

Dr Sudhakar a TDP man, says YSRCP

Stating the whole episode as an attack on Dalit community and the doctor fraternity, Naidu called for action against the guilty. The TDP also blamed “the government’s retributive acts as leading to the doctor’s mental condition.”

The ruling YSRCP reacted by stating Dr Sudhakar as a TDP man. YSRCP leaders including Bapatla MP Nandigam Suresh slammed Naidu “for making Dalits like Dr Sudhakar puppets to boost his political mileage.”

Suresh said that Dr Sudhakar has been a hardcore TDP supporter and even expected to contest from Payakaraopeta assembly constituency on TDP ticket in 2019.

“The doctor’s mental condition is quite unstable and there were such incidents in the past, involving Dr Sudhakar. Before raising allegations against the government, he should understand the motives of Naidu using him as a pawn,” the YSRCP leader said.

YSRCP also alleged that Dr Sudhakar is close to former TDP minister from Visakhapatnam Ch Ayyana Patrudu.