Mansa: Ex-DC still awaits proper inquiry in fake X-ray case

More than a week after the HT report (‘Mansa DC fumes over X-ray that wasn’t’, December 25), no action has been taken against the officers and officials responsible for the goof-up.

On December 21, then Mansa deputy commissioner Pravin Kumar Thind was on his way back from Chandigarh when his vehicle hit a buffalo on the road. He received minor injuries and went to the hospital. He apparently underwent an X-ray to check for any fracture in his leg. Later, the doctors on duty told him that everything was okay. However, it was subsequently found that the hospital’s X-ray machine was not even working when the then DC underwent the ‘test’.

When contacted, Punjab health minister Surjit Kumar Jyani said, “I am not aware of the incident, but I will ensure that a proper enquiry is conducted.”

Navjot Kaur Sidhu, chief parliamentary secretary, health and family welfare, said she had read the HT report. “I will ask the chief medical officer for further reports,” she said.

Pravin Kumar Thind, the victim and the ex-deputy commissioner who underwent the fake X-ray seems to be the least convinced with the whole development so far. “I am really disappointed with the progress of the whole report. The civil surgeon seems to have no interest in punishing the guilty and he is almost ignorant. I demand a swift and impartial enquiry where the juniors and lower grade employees should not be me made the scapegoat.”

The CMO Vinod K Beri however clarified that a report was sought from the SMO and it has been found that it was a technical fault of the machine and there was no deliberate motive to keep the deputy commissioner in dark.