Nagpur: The registration of an FIR in an extortion complaint filed by a city doctor and the subsequent suspension of a senior police inspector (see box) came within hours of a meeting between police top brass and senior representatives of the medical fraternity.
A few hours after the meeting, Pachpaoli police registered an FIR against seven people, including a couple of political workers, for an alleged Rs 12 lakh extortion bid against the owner of a private hospital after the death of a 45-year-old patient. The man died at the hospital on Sept 4 and his relatives refused to take the body. The doctors called the police emergency number 112.
“Alongside preventive security measures, prompt police response to complaints involving medical establishments is crucial to maintaining confidence among the doctor fraternity and ensuring that threats or coercion do not escalate into violence,” CP said during the meeting. Panchpaoli police shifted the body to Mayo Hospital for autopsy. But no FIR was filed for over a month. Police and hospital administrations also discussed the need for better communication with patients’ relatives, particularly in situations where treatment-related misunderstandings could trigger confrontations.
Senior PI Aniruddha Puri of Pachpaoli police station was suspended for allegedly delaying registration of an FIR in an extortion case involving Dr BK Murli’s hospital. The action highlights Nagpur police’s zero-tolerance approach towards threats, harassment, and violence targeting the medical fraternity.
The action assumes significance against the backdrop of the police department’s earlier assurances of ensuring a safe working environment for doctors, nurses and hospital staff.