Doc who threatened to thrash minister arrested, Saryu Roy warns govt

Jamshedpur

A doctor, who owns a private hospital and had allegedly threatened to thrash Jharkhand’s health minister Banna Gupta, was arrested late Sunday evening from his residence in Seraikela-Kharsawan district and was sent to jail early Monday morning, police said.

A team of state drug controller’s office also raided the residence of the doctor, O P Anand, inside Gayatri Siksha Niketan School premises in Adityapur-2 Monday afternoon and seized an ambulance loaded with medicines.

The arrest came after a series of actions and a fresh FIR for filed against Dr Anand at RIT police station on Saturday evening by relative of a patient who died of Covid-19 during treatment at his 111 Save Life Hospital in Adityapur. The FIR was filed under section 304 of the Indian Penal Code, which relates to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

“Dr Anand was arrested late last evening and he was sent to judicial custody after production in the CJM court this morning,” Srinivas Singh, RIT police station officer-in-charge, said.

Earlier, Seraikela-Kharsawan civil surgeon in-charge Dr Bariyal Mardi had filed an FIR against Dr Anand at RIT PS on Sunday for obstructing government work, threatening and abusing health department probe team and health minister on May 16.

Meanwhile, Jamshedpur (East) MLA Saryu Roy slammed the action as “excesses against a doctor whom police and administration were treating as a criminal”.

“New FIR, series of fast-changing developments ... this now looks much beyond ego class. It’s something more deep and police and administration are working as agents. Government has power and force, they have done whatever maximum they could. Let’s see if this stands the trial in court or not... this type of actions damage the credibility of a government. I had written to the CM to ensue that the hospital remain functional when government is trying to increase beds and treatment facilities for Covid-19,” Roy said after visiting Dr Anand’s residence Monday afternoon.

Dr Anand, on the other hand, said the state government stood exposed and defeated and he would share his victory message after coming out of jail. He said he treated the father of two girls as his own brother but he was now going to jail on their complaint. “Truth will come out. People in power have spared no tricks,” he said in a video message before being taken to jail.