GTB Hospital Shocker: Patient shot dead, Doctors fear for security

New Delhi: In response to a recent tragic incident at GTB Hospital where a 32-year-old patient was shot inside a ward on Sunday, the Residents’ Doctors Association (RDA) declared an indefinite strike citing safety concerns and long-standing demands for improved security measures. 

The incident took place in Ward Number 24 of the hospital when a 32-year-old man was shot dead by a teenager. The victim was admitted to the hospital on June 23 and was undergoing treatment for an abdominal infection, according to police.

According to an official statement issued by the RDA, the strike came after their long-pending demand to give doctors ample security went unheeded by the city government.

According to a PTI report, an RDA spokesperson said in the statement, “Our repeated appeals for enhanced security have been ignored, culminating in this tragic event. Until the Delhi Government ensures a secure environment for everyone within the hospital, we cannot continue our duties”.

“The strike will continue until fundamental security improvements are effectively implemented and communicated,” the statement said. However, doctors said the emergency services will remain operational during the strike.

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Condemning the shocking incident, the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) described the incident as a “mafia-like killing.” “The recent incident of violence at GTB Hospital underscores the urgent need for enhanced security measures for our doctors,” said FORDA president Aviral Mathur.

“While the Central Protection Act should be tabled in Parliament without delay, it is imperative that the Ministry of Health immediately releases Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to beef up security at all major government hospitals,” he said, reports PTI.

Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) Chairperson Rohan Krishnan concurred with his colleague and termed the Delhi government hospitals as “a land of lawlessness with no administration.”

Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “A security review of all hospitals will be carried out and no negligence will be tolerated.” 

The tragic incident took place on Sunday when a 32-year-old man was shot dead by a teenager inside a ward of the GTB Hospital. The victim was admitted to the hospital on June 23 and he was undergoing treatment for an abdominal infection, according to police.

The incident took place in Ward Number 24 of the hospital, they said and added that there was one shooter. The patient was injured and was later declared dead, police said.

The officer said around 4 pm, an 18-year-old man came inside the ward and fired at the patient. The police have registered a case and teams have been formed to nab the culprit. Prima facie, the matter seems to be of personal enmity.

Possible case of mistaken identity: Delhi Police

The killing of the patient inside a GTB Hospital ward could be a case of mistaken identity as a criminal had been shifted from the same ward only a day before the incident occurred, police said on Monday.

The deceased’s family members, too, have claimed that the criminal was the original target.

Multiple teams of the crime branch, a team led by the SHO of GTB Enclave police station, and a team comprising personnel of adjoining police stations are investigating the case.

“The teams are checking CCTV footage to know how many people were involved, how many entered the hospital, which vehicle they used, trail of the vehicle and where they fled after crime. We are looking at all possible angles,” a senior police officer said, adds the news agency PTI.

“The police will nab the accused very soon,” the officer added.

The police said the murder could be a case of mistaken identity as a criminal of the city’s Welcome area was also being treated in ward number 24, but was shifted to another ward a day before the incident.

They added that they had checked the records of the patient, a resident of the Khajuri Khas area, and no criminal background was found against him.

According to a PTI report, “If it was a case of mistaken identity, we are investigating that angle and can only confirm with the arrest of the accused. Teams have activated their local sources to gather information about the accused and nab them immediately,” the police officer said.

Police departments of neighbouring states Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have also been asked to monitor CCTV footage so that the accused can be caught if they attempt to cross the border, the officer added. 

Hit from Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj

Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj hit out at Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Sunday, alleging that the law-and-order situation in the capital has gone from bad to worse ever since he took charge.

His comments came in the wake of an incident at the Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital here, in which a man was shot dead inside a ward.

In a post in Hindi on X, Bharadwaj alleged that the Delhi Police has been ruined as it is being used politically.

“LG sir, after your arrival, the law-and-order situation in Delhi is going from bad to worse in the last two years. The fear of law among criminals has ended. Bullets are being fired inside hospitals in broad daylight.

“Sometimes a killing takes place inside Tihar Jail in front of police and police personnel keep watching. Sometimes a lawyer is shot at in front of a court. In Jangpura, an elderly person was brutally killed after the assailants entered his house in broad daylight,” he said.

Alleging that killings in broad daylight are becoming a common thing in Delhi now, Bharadwaj said criminals have gone “fearless”.

“The @DelhiPolice is severely understaffed and a large proportion is busy with VIP security.

“According to data from the NCRB, Delhi is the worst in terms of crime rate in the entire country at present –” 1,832 crimes per 1 lakh population. Out of total criminal cases registered, only 30 per cent cases are being charge-sheeted,” the minister said in a series of posts on the microblogging platform.

Referring to the data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), he said Delhi has registered the highest number of killings among the metropolitan cities.

“What has LG saab done about law and order situation in Delhi? “In the latest NCRB data published, Delhi with over 500 murder cases has recorded the highest number of homicides (murder) among all metropolitan cities. Of the 440 men, including children, and 91 women murdered in the 509 cases last year, 16 cases were over love affairs and 13 over illicit relationships,” Bharadwaj said.

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