Gujarat: Hospital owner booked for allegedly assaulting doctor with iron pipe over non payment of dues

The doctor further added that the hospital authorities attacked him and assaulted him with iron pipes. Police are trying the nab the hospital owner and his brothers now who are the primary accused in the case.

According to a recent media report, the doctor has been identified as a chest physician who rendered his services in June and July in a private hospital in Surat and discontinued his services after the number of COVID patients reduced.

He sought rupees 2.13 Lakhs as payment for treating the COVID patients during the two months. However, the owner of the hospital paid him half the amount and promised him to clear the due soon. On Tuesday the doctor along with one of his friends visited the hospital authorities again to receive his due payment for the services.

The complainant alleged that he went inside while his friend kept waiting outside. The owner of the hospital handed him a check of 1 lakh after which he was given a no due left statement to sign on. The Indian Express reports that when the doctor received the check and signed the no dues statement, he started to prepare for leaving the chamber but was suddenly attacked by the brothers of the owner of the hospital. They allegedly started assaulting him with iron pipes and the owner of the hospital also took the one lakh check away from him forcibly.

The four men left him at the hospital gate and also instructed the security guards not to allow him inside. The friend of the doctor who was waiting outside took the injured doctor to his home after which he approached the police and narrated the whole incident. The doctor lodged a complaint against the owner of the hospital along with the three others who assaulted him and he has also complained against three security guards and 2 bouncers of the hospital, reports the daily.

Inspector T V Patel of Khatodara police station told The Indian Express, "We have registered an offense against the owner, his three brothers and five others. Police teams were sent to the hospital and their residence, but they were not found. Even their mobile phones are switched off. We talked to the other doctors who were also visiting physicians at Ratnadeep Hospital and found they too had not been paid for the services. It is obvious that the owner had taken treatment charges from the patients but not paid the remuneration to the visiting doctors. Further probe is on in this case."

According to TIE, Khatodara police have registered an offense under IPC sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506(2) (criminal intimidation), 385 (putting a person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion) and 114 (abettor present when an offense is committed).