Kashmir doctors speak up against police harassment

Will observe black-band protest today

Kashmir doctors speak up against police harassment

Will observe black-band protest today

Srinagar: The Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) has said it will complain to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) against the harassment by police that doctors and other healthcare professionals have been routinely suffering during the Covid-19 lockdown.
President of DAK Dr Suhail Naik told Kashmir Reader that the doctors’ body has been working on a draft memo that will be submitted to the MHA.
“Doctors are going through mental trauma. They expect support from security agencies but instead they are harassed every day while on the way to their duties. We have decided to approach the MHA on this issue,” Dr Naik said.
“The families of doctors are already anxious due to the risk of Covid-19 infection; now the families are even more worried following the unfortunate incidents in the past four days,” he said.
The DAK has also called for a one-day black band protest against incidents of police harassment.
“We are announcing a one-day black band protest on Wednesday against the excesses by government forces,” Dr Naik said.
The MHA has asked all states and union territories to provide security to healthcare professionals, noting that incidents of violence were reported from different parts of India against healthcare workers.
“But in J&K it is the reverse. Rather than providing security, they are harassing, beating, and not allowing doctors to perform their duties,” the DAK said in a statement.
General Secretary DAK, Dr Ovais H Dar, said that the doctors’ body stands with every doctor in Jammu and Kashmir. “The recent three episodes in which doctors were harassed by government forces need to be investigated thoroughly and action should be initiated against those involved,” he said.
Meanwhile, doctors at a super-speciality hospital in Shireen Bagh here on Tuesday held a token protest against the harassment of healthcare professionals by police in Kashmir.
The doctors held up posters that read, “They may stop us, beat us, strip us, arrest us, but we will always be there for you.”
A video of Chief Medical Officer Bandipora, Dr Tajamul Hussain, being stopped by police has gone viral on social media. The medical officer was on way to inspect a quarantine and sample collection centre when he was stopped by police.
On Saturday, a senior doctor was allegedly humiliated and detained for a day by policemen in Srinagar while he was on way to SMHS hospital to attend to a patient.
Senior cardiologist Dr Syed Maqbool had alleged that he was beaten up and abused by the police in Hawal area. The incident sparked outrage in the medical fraternity with Principal of Government Medical College Srinagar, Dr Samia Rashid, calling for swift action. After the incident came to light, police ordered a probe into it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.