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Himachal doc, accused of assaulting patient, sacked
High-level committee report finds both doctor and patient at fault for Dec 22 incident at IGMC, Shimla
The Himachal Pradesh government on Wednesday sacked a senior resident doctor, who was involved in a violent scuffle with a patient at the Indira Gandhi Medical College here.
The government action came after a report by a high-level committee, formed to probe the incident that took place on Monday, found both parties – Arjun Pawar, the patient, and Raghav Narula, the senior resident doctor — at fault.
“Both the patient and the senior resident doctor were responsible for the incident, which amounted to misconduct, misbehaviour, acts unbecoming of a public servant, and violation of the resident doctor policy-2025,” an order issued by the director of medical education and research said. In view of the above facts, the services of Dr Raghav Narula, senior resident in the department of pulmonary medicine, IGMC Shimla, have been terminated with immediate effect, the order further read.
Additionally, an FIR has been lodged against the doctor by the attendants of the patient. A viral video of the confrontation, which took place in the pulmonary ward of the IGMC, showed the doctor punching the patient in the face, while the patient was seen trying to kick the doctor.
Based on a preliminary report, the authorities had suspended Narula on Monday evening. Arjun, a resident of Chopal in Shimla district, had alleged that the dispute started over the doctor’s choice of words. Arjun claimed he objected when the doctor addressed him as “tu” instead of “tum”, which made Narula “aggressive”. However, Narula maintained that the patient instigated the fight by using abusive language against him and his family. He also claimed the video circulated widely shows only the partial truth.
The incident triggered a protest at the hospital on Monday, with Singh’s relatives and other patients demanding the doctor’s arrest. The situation was pacified only after police intervention.
Earlier, the Shimla Association of Medical and Dental College Teachers (SAMDCOT) sought a fair probe into the entire incident while seeking FIR against those who mobilised the mob.
SAMDCOT, the largest representative body of medical faculty in Himachal Pradesh, warned that if legal action is not taken against those who allegedly incited the crowd, a statewide movement will be launched. “Harassment, threats, misinformation and unsafe working conditions are forcing doctors to take collective action to protect their safety and dignity, which ultimately impacts patient care,” the association said, adding that hospitals must remain safe spaces for both patients and healthcare providers.
