On-duty doctor attacked at Chamoli CHC, 6 held under clinical protection act

Dehradun: In response to violence against an on-duty doctor in the city, the Nandanagar Police have arrested six people including a patient for allegedly thrashing a government doctor in an intoxicated state in Chamoli district on Wednesday.

The doctor who works at Community Health Centre, Ghat in Chamoli became the subject of violence after six accused entered the centre and thrashed the doctor inhumanely creating chaos among the medical fraternity in Uttarakhand.

The incident took place on July 9 following which a complaint was lodged by the members of the Provincial Medical Health Services (PMHS), a government doctors' body.

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However, the investigation into the assault case was moving slowly which prompted the PMHS and other government doctors to raise their voices against the issue. Demanding immediate arrest of the accused, the doctors wore black bands protesting against the violence on July 12 at government hospitals.

When the protest began to escalate, the police arrested the accused within 48 hours of the FIR. This made the doctors call off the protest and the decision to close OPDs across all government facilities.

The six accused were arrested under the Clinical Protection Act (CPA). This arrest is considered the first arrest since it was enacted in 2013. According to the PMHS, the Act prohibits violence against medical service personnel and damage to property in medical institutions in Uttarakhand.

Nobody was arrested under this Act after it was enacted until now. According to the Act, the accused is reported to be sent behind bars for seven years as per PMHS.

"They were presented before the court and sent to judicial custody for the next 14 days," Nandanagar Police Chowki in-charge DS Panwar informed TOI.

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