Doctors and other healthcare workers in Kashmir are facing insults, humiliation and even verbal & physical abuse amid the battle against COVID-19.
Srinagar| Dr Syed Maqbool, a cardiologist in Jammu& Kashmir’s Srinagar was allegedly assaulted by the police and detained for hours last week while he was rushing for a medical emergency, NDTV reported on Tuesday.
Dr Maqbool, an intervention cardiologist at Srinagarâs Super Speciality Hospital, claimed that he was halted at a checkpoint in the city on Saturday and not permitted to go to his hospital amid the COVId-19 lockdown. He alleged that the police hit him with batons when he stepped out of his car.
He claimed that he was brought to the police station, where he was tortured and abused for hours. Syed said that the police took away his phone and identity card, Scroll.in reported.
Earlier, on 23 May, Dr Shabir, a senior urologist, was returning home after finishing his duties at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital, a tertiary-care facility in Srinagar run by the Jammu and Kashmir government.
At the Budshah Bridge over Jhelum river, from a distance, a policeman holding an automatic rifle signalled to him, to produce his identity papers. The doctor assisted but the cop, after confirming his identity, didnât let him through.
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âI told him I was going home after completing a 24-hour shift but he felt offended. Then, he craned in (through the window) to snatch the documents of my car. When I tried to stop him, he grabbed my index finger and twisted it so hard that I started to cry,â Dr Shabir told The Quint.
After letting go of his finger, the cop, Dr Shabir claimed, pulled him out of his car and manhandled him.
His car was also allegedly damaged by the policeman. âThere are CCTV cameras all around. They can check the footage to find out what happened,â Shabir said.
On Tuesday, the official vehicle of the chief medical officer of Bandipora district, Dr Tajamul Hussain, was halted close to his office. He was stopped from visiting a quarantine centre, despite having an official vehicle and valid movement papers.
Earlier this month, police personnel were seen allegedly burning and vandalising property in a village in Budgam in a video.
Last month, the Central government had approved amendments to the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 to make attacks on frontline health workers non-bailable offences, punishable with up to seven years in jail.
(Inputs from Agencies)
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