New Delhi, Aug 2 (IANS): Punjab Health Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra stirred a controversy by forcing Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) Vice-Chancellor and a renowned surgeon Dr. Raj Bahadur to lie down on a dirty patient bed on July 30.

The incident took place during an inspection by the Punjab Health Minister of Faridkot's Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital that comes under BFUHS.

Protesting against the unpleasant incident, Dr. Raj Bahadur resigned and requested Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to relieve him from services.

The Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) has issued a statement condemning the unceremonious treatment meted out to the Vice-Chancellor. The association also demanded the minister's unconditional apology and resignation. The incident invited strong criticism from the opposition in the state condemning the 'disrespect of a prominent health professional' by the minister.

CVoter - IndiaTracker conducted an opinion poll on behalf of IANS to know people's views about the incident. During the survey, the majority of respondents slammed the Punjab Health Minister for forcing the senior health professional to lie down on an unclean hospital bed. As per the survey data, while 63 per cent respondents condemned the incident, only 37 per cent approved the action of the health minister.

Interestingly, during the survey, the majority of both the NDA and opposition voters spoke against the deplorable treatment meted out to the Vice-Chancellor. According to the survey data, 64 per cent NDA voters and 62 per cent opposition supporters disapproved of the humiliating treatment of the senior doctor by the minister.

During the survey, the majority of urban and rural voters too held similar views. As per the survey data, 67 per cent urban voters and 60 per cent rural criticised the Punjab Health Minister for the humiliation and harassment of the senior doctor.