A research assistant at a civil hospital was beaten by members of non-governmental organisation (NGO) Ek Zaria, led by Anmol Kwatra.
The assault reportedly took place around 10 am on Thursday after a petty argument over chairs escalated into a violence, during which the hospital staff was attacked with chairs.
Ashish Puri, a research assistant, said he was sitting with his team on chairs owned by an NGO, while collecting samples for RT-PCR tests. The NGO members approached them and asked for the chairs. Puri asked them to wait for a while, but the members began hurling abuses at him. This led to an argument and eventually escalated into a physical altercation.
“I was attacked by Harinder and Ravi Ruaiel Masih, who used a chair to assault me. Additionally, they attempted to attack me with a brick,” Puri said.
Speaking of the incident, senior medical officer, civil hospital, Amarjit Kaur said, “I condemn the action of NGO team members. The medico-legal report has been prepared and information regarding the incident has been sent to the police, and a first information report (FIR) will be filed.”
Civil surgeon Hitinder Kaur, meanwhile, said, “I have instructed the senior medical officer to investigate the incident and take necessary action.”
{{/usCountry}}Civil surgeon Hitinder Kaur, meanwhile, said, “I have instructed the senior medical officer to investigate the incident and take necessary action.”
{{/usCountry}}On being asked about the incident, Anmol Kwatra regarding the matter, he said, “My competitors are making an issue out of an altercation that occurred, which they are using to target me. However, I believe the incident was not significant.”
“The altercation occurred when a staff member allegedly abused one of our team members, leading to a physical altercation in which one of our team members suffered a broken tooth. I am confident that the hospital administration would have reviewed the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the incident and taken appropriate action,” he added.
Sharing details, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Shingara Singh, who is stationed at the police chowki at the civil hospital said they have received complaints from both sides regarding the incident and the matter is currently under investigation.