Jamshedpur doctor allegedly shot by elder brother amid property dispute

Adityapur: A doctor who also serves as the director of a private hospital was allegedly shot by his elder brother following a dispute over ancestral property at an educational campus in the RIT police station area of Seraikela-Kharsawan district on Monday night. The doctor sustained gunshot injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at Tata Main Hospital (TMH). 

According to preliminary reports, the incident took place around 8 pm at the Gayatri Shiksha Niketan campus, where the two brothers and their families lived. The victim had reportedly returned from the gym and asked his personal security guard to leave when an argument broke out between the brothers.

The altercation allegedly escalated when the accused pointed a firearm at the doctor’s wife. The doctor is reportedly said to have intervened to protect her, following which his elder brother allegedly fired two shots. One bullet struck him in the back, while another grazed his body.

Family members and the victim’s driver rushed him to TMH after the shooting. His daughter was also reportedly present on the campus when the incident occurred. The accused allegedly left the premises after the incident and has not been traced so far. His mobile phone was reportedly switched off.

Police said they had collected evidence from the scene and were examining the firearm allegedly used in the shooting. Further investigation is underway.

The incident is believed to have stemmed from a long-running dispute over the division of the educational institution and ancestral property following the death of the brothers’ father. Their families occupy separate floors of the campus.

According to reports, the brothers had also been involved in a confrontation at the same premises around eight days before the shooting, during which the elder brother allegedly assaulted the doctor. The victim was also reportedly facing financial difficulties linked to losses at his hospital in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The doctor is a known medical practitioner in the Jamshedpur-Adityapur region and had previously contested an Assembly election from Jamshedpur West. He had also been in the news during the COVID-19 pandemic following a controversy involving remarks against the then state health minister during a hospital inspection, Jagran reported. 

He was subsequently arrested in connection with the episode and later secured bail from the High Court.

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