Abid Bashir
Srinagar (NVI): In a goodwill gesture, Jammu and Kashmir Police today distributed sweets and flowers to doctors at a Srinagar hospital, a day after protests by medicos and paramedics who alleged misbehavior, harassment and manhandling by cops on the ground.
Doctors and the paramedics at Lal Ded hospital in Srinagar were taken by surprise after a team of policemen reached the lone maternity home with sweets, garlands and red roses. Earlier today, three gynecologists of LD hospital had alleged harassment by the cops deployed outside the hospital.
In a bid to defuse the situation and to prevent further protests by the doctors, the J&K Police without wasting any time pacified the healthcare professionals at the hospital. “We are one against the Covid battle. Doctors and policemen are Covid warriors. There was some confusion, we thought let’s start with red roses and sweets to clear the same,” a police official told NVI.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Srinagar, Haseeb Mughal said that there was a mild argument between some female doctors and cops outside the hospital over the entry from the rear side. “The entry from the rear side has been closed in view of Covid pandemic as that would trigger jumbling. But doctors had insisted on entering the hospital from the rear side which triggered an argument,” he said, adding that the issue was being blown out of proportion.
However, Dr Farhat Jabeen, a leading gynecologist at the LD hospital, told NVI that cops used foul language and also misbehaved with three other female gynecologists.
Meanwhile, J&K LG’s security advisor B R Bhatnagar, who is currently under quarantine, said that Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh and principal secretary Health Atul Dhuloo have taken note and things have been sorted out amicably.
“There was some mild argument which is over now. Both, doctors and policemen on the ground are Covid warriors and are doing a tremendous job as far as the fight against the pandemic is concerned,” he said.
Today’s incident comes barely two days after a senior cardiologist at Super Specialty Hospital Srinagar Dr Syed Maqbool was stopped at Hawal area of Srinagar where he was allegedly manhandled by cops and later lodged in Zadibal police station of downtown Srinagar. Dr Maqbool was on a call (duty) that day. Yesterday, a massive protest was held by doctors and paramedics of Super Specialty Hospital after which Inspector General of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar ordered an impartial inquiry into the incident.
