A nationwide alliance of doctors on Wednesday demanded judicial probes into what they said were “inhuman illegal obstacles” imposed by police on doctors trying to provide healthcare to protesters against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
The Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare (ADEH) has also asked the government to direct all police and other officials not to interfere with the work of healthcare personnel or prevent injured people from accessing healthcare.
The statement from the alliance — a group of senior physicians and surgeons campaigning for ethical healthcare — follows similar concerns expressed by the Indian Medical Association on Sunday in response to reports that the police had denied doctors access to injured protesters and even entered hospitals.
Doctors and others present on site have reported instances of the police obstructing healthcare to protesters agitating against the CAA and the proposed National Register of Citizenship (NRC) at at least three sites — near Jamia Milia University and Darya Ganj in New Delhi and at the Highland Hospital in Mangalore.
“The ADEH condemns the inhuman illegal behaviour of police personnel towards injured persons seeking healthcare in the course of the current agitation against the CAA and the NRC,” the alliance said, demanding judicial probes and “exemplary punishment” for police personnel and their superiors found guilty.
The alliance has also called on the National Human Rights Commission and the Medical Council of India to investigate reports that some doctors attending to victims of violence at Jamia Milia had used communal and derogatory language on injured persons and even avoided to treat them.
“It is the duty of every doctor to treat the injured irrespective of anything else and no authority should interfere in this process,” the alliance said. “Healthcare personnel should not be scared to treat any injured or affected persons in such situations.”
The alliance has referred in detail to reports from Mangalore where the police barged into the Highland Hospital where two victims of firing had been brought in. The alliance said video clips show policemen running through a corridor attempting to kick a door and using lathis and shields to push people.
“The police in a democracy is supposed to be a disciplined force — but what we’ve seen through video evidence is police brutality,” Arun Mitra, an ear-nose-throat surgeon in Ludhiana and alliance member. “Police chasing people, entering hospitals, trying to break down hospital doors — we’ve never seen this before,” Mitra said.
Three doctors who had reached the Darya Ganj police station on Friday night after learning that police had detained several protesters after a lathi charge were also denied access to the detainees for over an hour.
Harjit Singh Bhatti, one of the three doctors and national convenor of the Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum, said they found several detainees had suffered mild bruises and injuries. Bhatti said he gave a pain-killer to a man in his early-50s who was in pain after lathi blows.
The alliance has asked the government to send strict instructions to police and other officials not to enter or threaten hospitals or healthcare personnel or prevent any injured person from accessing healthcare.
Members of the alliance who have signed the statement include community medicine specialists, family medicine physicians, neurologists, ophthalmologists, and gastrointestinal, orthopaedic, and vascular surgeons.
