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IPS officer threatens medic at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital over wife's treatment: Report
The incident reportedly took place when IPS officer Brijendra Kumar Yadav got angry over the treatment of his wife, Anita Roy, at the hospital.
A senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer allegedly verbally abused a resident doctor at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on Sunday over the treatment of his wife, leading to a temporary halt of operations in the emergency ward.
The wife of Brijendra Kumar Yadav, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Armed Police and Training in Puducherry, had been admitted to the hospital for postoperative care following surgery at the hospital’s Sports Injury Centre (SIC).
According to a witness cited by The New Indian Express, Yadav confronted Dr Lakshya, a resident doctor in the surgery department, as he was dissatisfied with his wife’s treatment. HT can't independently verify the veracity of the allegation.
The witness said that Yadav, accompanied by several men in police uniforms, aggressively approached Dr Lakshya, shouting at him and making threatening gestures.
Caught on CCTV
A purported CCTV footage said to be of the incident showed a man, allegedly the IPS officer, gesturing angrily at the doctor and pointing his finger. Although the footage was audio less, the body language of the man clearly indicated hostility.
Later, an audio clip of the incident was also shared by the official X handle of Resident Doctors' Association of Safdarjung Hospital. In the clip, a man could be heard saying ‘jitna padhke aaya hai na, uss se dugna main padh aa chuka hu [I have studied twice as much as you have], so don’t think you are indispensable".
The incident caused a stir among the hospital's medical staff, with several doctors refusing to work in protest against the IPS officer's behaviour. The emergency services reportedly resumed after the hospital later asked the Yadav and his wife Anita Roy to leave.
“The resident doctor was verbally assaulted and threatened regarding his career while assessing the patient on a surgery reference call. My colleagues and seniors expressed their agitation and went to speak with the authorities, but unfortunately, we were not heard satisfactorily and received no response from the concerned consultant in SIC or the hospital authorities. As a result, we were compelled to withdraw our duties in the ER 3 emergency until the issue was properly resolved,” the New Indian Express report quoted as saying Dr Rajat Gangwar, a senior resident doctor at SIC, Safdarjung.
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In its statement, RDA of Safdarjung Hospital strongly condemned the incident of “verbal harassment and bullying” faced by their general surgery postgraduate resident on duty.
“The concerned person, Mr. Brijendra Kumar Yadav [IPS Officer], and husband of patient Mrs. Anita Roy [admitted to the seventh floor of the SIC building], engaged in behaviour that was both disgraceful and unacceptable. Such actions, particularly by a senior government official, are highly condemnable and violate the dignity of healthcare professionals who work tirelessly to serve patients,” the RDA statement read.
“This unfortunate incident highlights the repeated challenges and harassment faced by doctors in the line of duty. The RDA demands a apology from Mr. Brijendra Kumar Yadav to uphold the morale and dignity of healthcare workers,” it stated.
The RDA called upon the hospital administration and authorities to take ensure accountability for the incident and prevent similar occurrences in the future, reinforce the safety and respect of healthcare professionals within the hospital premises.
