The suspended Visakhapatnam doctor, whom the Andhra Pradesh police had recently assaulted for allegedly creating nuisance in public and abusing the YSR Congress-led state government, has written a letter to the medical superintendent of the mental hospital he was admitted to. In his letter, he has alleged that he is being given antipsychotics even though he’s perfectly “normal”.
Dr Sudhakar Rao, the government doctor in question, who was suspended by the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government last month on disciplinary grounds after the doctor had demanded protective gears to treat coronavirus patients, has written a letter to the superintendent of the Government Hospital for Mental Care (GHMC), requesting that he be referred to another hospital. Dr Sudhakar has claimed that antipsychotics being given to him is making him suffer side-effects and has demanded he be moved to a better hospital.
In his letter, the doctor has alleged that he is being given medicines which are generally prescribed for the treatment of schizophrenia. He alleged that he was being treated in an unpleasant manner. The hospital atmosphere was disturbing and the drugs which were being administered on him would turn him into a psycho, alleged the doctor.
Andhra Pradesh HC directed CBI to probe the arrest
The Andhra Pradesh High Court on May 22 (Friday) ordered CBI to probe the controversial arrest of the suspended government doctor.
With multiple PILs filed in the High Court seeking a probe into the doctor’s manhandling, detainment, and subsequent admission to a mental institute, the court had directed the Visakhapatnam sessions judge to record Dr Sudhakar’s statement after visiting him in person at the Government Hospital for Mental Care.
The High Court also took cognizance of a report filed by the Visakhapatnam District Magistrate that stated there were six injury marks on Dr Sudhakar, which was missing in the government report.
Visakhapatnam doctor thrashed by cops for ‘creating nuisance’ on road
On May 16, 2020, the Visakhapatnam police brutally assaulted Dr Sudhankar, tied his hands and dragged him on the road for allegedly creating nuisance in public and abusing the YSR Congress-led state government in an intoxicated condition.
According to the reports, the videos of a police constable kicking and flooring a bare-chested Dr K Sudhakar had gone viral on social media, drawing ire, not just from the opposition parties but also civil society.
A series of videos showed that the suspended doctor was walking in the middle of the road shirtless. The cops tied his hands up, even as another constable hit him with a stick. The doctor was seen lying down on the road, with his hands tied. Later, the police put him in an auto and took him to the police station.
The doctor was later taken to the police station and from there to KGH for alcohol test. A case under section 353 of IPC was filed against the doctor.
There were reports which alleged that Dr Sudhakar was under the influence of alcohol and then caused public nuisance near the Paalem Port Hospital Junction. The police claimed that Dr Sudhakar tore off his shirt, attacked and damaged a constable’s phone. However, Dr Sudhakar has denied that he was drunk.
Cop suspended
Visakhapatnam police commissioner RK Meena said that the constable who behaved rudely with the doctor was placed under suspension, pending an inquiry.
The doctor was earlier suspended for requesting PPE kits
Reportedly, Sudhakar, an anesthesiologist at Narsipatnam government hospital was suspended by the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government last month on disciplinary grounds after the doctor had demanded protective gears to treat coronavirus patients. The doctor had alleged that the government was not providing an adequate number of PPE kits and N-95 masks to the doctors.
“We are asked to use the same mask for 15 days before asking for a fresh mask. How can we treat patients risking our lives?” he asked.
A month after his suspension, the police brutality against the doctor has been reported after a police constable was seen attacking Dr Sudhakar in a public road. The doctor’s hand were tied behind his back by the policeman and beat him up before bundling him into an auto-rickshaw.
The opposition parties, especially Telugu Desam Party condemned the attack against the doctor incident, alleging that the incident reflecting the poor state of law and order situation in the state.
