IPS officer slaps protesting doctor repeatedly, video goes viral; inquiry on

The incident happened in the afternoon, when the junior resident doctors were staging a protest outside the NTR University of Health Sciences on Kolkata-Chennai national highway.

The Andhra Pradesh police ordered a departmental inquiry into an alleged manhandling of a post-graduate medical student by an IPS officer in Vijayawada on Wednesday while dispersing the medicos who were agitating against the proposed National Medial Commission bill.

A video of Vijayawada Deputy Commissioner of Police V Harshavardhan Raju holding an agitating medico, Dr M Kalyan, by his collar and slapping him hard went viral on the social media, incurring the wrath of the student community.

A video of Vijayawada Deputy Commissioner of Police V Harshavardhan Raju holding an agitating medico, Dr M Kalyan, by his collar and slapping him hard went viral on the social media, incurring the wrath of the student community.

The incident happened in the afternoon, when the junior resident doctors were staging a protest outside the NTR University of Health Sciences on Kolkata-Chennai national highway. They formed a human chain between Benz Circle and Ramavarappadu junction bringing the traffic on the highway to a halt for more than an hour.

The police asked the protesting medicos to clear the way, but they continued to block the road. As a result, the police started dispersing them using force and pushing them into vans. As the striking medicos resisted the police force and entered into an argument with the DCP, he lost his cool, held one of them by collar and went about slapping him.

The DGP summoned the DCP and also Vijayawada police commissioner Dwaraka Tirumala Rao and sought an explanation. He ordered a departmental inquiry into the whole episode, including manhandling of the medico by the DCP.

While the DCP was not available for the comment, the Commissioner of Police said appropriate action would be taken after conducting an inquiry into the incident.

Andhra Pradesh Government Doctors’ Association (APGDA) strongly condemned the rude behaviour of the DCP. “This is an inhuman act. The police officer should tender unconditional apology to the junior doctors. He should be suspended forthwith. Otherwise, we will intensify agitation,” Dr P Shyam Sunder, general secretary of APGDA, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu also condemned the manhandling and slapping of a striking doctor by the IPS officer. “It clearly shows growing impatience of the YSR Congress party government against people who are protesting on legitimate issues. Where was the need for the police to slap a doctor?” he asked.