Psychiatrist deletes videos claiming ‘homosexuality can be cured’

Dr Amrit Pattojoshi, the executive member of IPS who will be coordinating the investigation against Dr Kelkar, said the five-member committee had their first meeting on February 23 and will soon submit its report.

Mumbai: Within 24 hours of the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) setting up an inquiry against Dr Deepak Kelkar for calling homosexuality a disease and claiming that it can be cured, the Akola-based psychiatrist pulled down all videos from YouTube. He also uploaded a new one saying homosexuality is not an illness.

Dr Pattojoshi, who is also the coordinator of the LGBTQ+ task force in IPS, said while the inquiry is on, they plan to sensitise the doctors and psychiatrist at Akola. (AFP)

Dr Amrit Pattojoshi, the executive member of IPS who will be coordinating the investigation against Dr Kelkar, said the five-member committee had their first meeting on February 23 and will soon submit its report.

“A senior psychiatrist is in touch with Dr Kelkar to take his version. He informed us that he has removed all the objectionable videos and has uploaded a video clarifying homosexuality is not a disease,” said Pattojoshi.

HT, on February 23, had reported that IPS, which has 8,000 members across the country, formed a five-member committee to investigate a complaint filed by Dr Prasad Dandekar, co-founder of Mumbai Seenagers after he found 10 videos of Dr Kelkar on YouTube claiming homosexuality is a disease and can be cured by conversion therapy. Dr Dandekar was also instrumental along with IPS in decriminalising consensual gay sex and scrapping Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.

While Dr Kelkar, in his new video said homosexuality is not a disease, he added that he has been treating people with homosexual thoughts and people who are confused. He, in the video, said he treats such people with anxiety and depression.

Dr Dandekar, however, said the new video is even more damaging because instead of accepting that his videos on homosexuality are unscientific, he has put the blame on to who sought help from him. “Being a psychiatrist, his role is to help by reassuring them that homosexuality is a normal phenomenon. The person who has homosexual thoughts or confused with sexual orientation needs counselling. The reason for their struggle is societal lack of acceptance,” he said.

Despite repeated attempts, Dr Kelkar was unavailable for comment.

Dr Pattojoshi, who is also the coordinator of the LGBTQ+ task force in IPS, said while the inquiry is on, they plan to sensitise the doctors and psychiatrist at Akola.

“We are planning a special sensitisation programme on LGBTQ+. The program will involve how to handle, how to talk, how to take care of gender dysphoria, how to help them come out etc,” he said.

On September 6, 2018, the Supreme Court had struck down the draconian Article 377 that criminalised gay sex. IPS had played a key role as it issued a statement saying homosexuality is not an illness.