Doctors at Sopore, Handwara and Srinagar hospitals were beaten up and hospital equipments worth lakhs were destroyed by frenzy mob after they brought their children for examination shortly after the false rumours that scores of children died after they were administered polio drops.“The mob manhandled and slapped me. They even roughed me my assistant Arvind Kour shortly after the false rumours spread in the town. Agitated people smashed window panes of the hospital and damaged costly equipments,” a pediatrician Dr Najma posted at Sub-District Hospital Handwara told CNS and lamented that no official visited the hospital after the unfortunate incident.
Reports said that in various hospitals, the doctors were beaten up, window panes were broken and security guards thrashed. In spite of assurances from heath department officials that there is no report of any death due to the pulse polio drops, people refused to leave the hospital premises. At Sub-District Hospital Sopore Dr Azmat and Dr Nasir were ruthlessly beaten up by mob. “People didn’t listen to them and started damaging the hospital equipments. They went on rampage in Causality ward and when we tried to stop them they thrashed us,” said one of the doctors.
Hundreds of anxious people resorted to stone pelting at SMHS hospital Srinagar when doctors failed to cater for the rush. “I was manhandled and my colleague was dragged out from his chamber,” said a junior doctor adding that four other doctors were also beaten up by the masses, who were angry and panicking, believing that their children were in a critical condition and needed immediate attention. At GB Panth hospital around three doctors were also beaten up by angry people. (CNS)