Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur
Puttur, Apr 27: Various organisations staged a protest, road blockade, and set a deadline for the arrest of the accused after an attempt was made to assault the administrative medical officer of the Puttur Taluk Government Hospital. The protest took place on April 26 in front of the Women’s Police Station. Local MLAs visited the site and directed the DySP to arrest the accused by evening.
The protest saw participation from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Doctor Forum, Ayush Federation, BJP members, and Hindu organisations. Protesters blocked the road near the Women's Police Station for about half an hour.
Incident details
On April 25, a woman named Zuhara and her son allegedly misbehaved with and attempted to assault Dr Asha Jyothi, the administrative medical officer of the Puttur Taluk Government Hospital. Police had registered a case against the two but, after initial questioning, released the accused, leading to public outrage.
Led by Puttur branch officials of the Indian Medical Association, doctors and Hindu leaders including Arun Kumar Puthila gathered at the police station on Friday night to express their anger. Dissatisfied with the police response, the organisations warned of intensified protests on April 26.
On Saturday morning, the protesters gheraoed the Women’s Police Station and staged a road blockade. Traffic SI Uday Ravi and Town SI Anjaneya Reddy attempted to pacify the protesters, leading to a heated verbal exchange between police and demonstrators.
Former president of the IMA Puttur branch, Dr Ganesh Prasad Mudraje, addressed the gathering. DySP Arun Nagegowda visited the site and explained that proper sections could not be imposed as a formal complaint was not lodged appropriately by the assaulted officer. However, protesters criticised the DySP and demanded swift action. He assured that the accused would be arrested by evening, failing which the protests would resume.
Medical services suspended
In solidarity with the protest, doctors and hospital staff in Puttur suspended all services except emergency treatment. Staff wore black bands to register their protest against the attack.
MLA visits protest site
MLA Ashok Kumar Rai visited the protest site and responded to the situation. He stated that no one had informed him about the incident earlier, and he learned about it through the media. He said he had spoken to the SP regarding the matter and directed police to bring the accused to the station by evening.
Doctor Forum president Dr Suresh Putturaya and IMA secretary Dr Ganesh Prasad Mudraje briefed the MLA about the incident.