The police in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday roughed up a doctor, tied his hands and dragged him on the road for allegedly creating nuisance and abusing the state government in an inebriated condition, the Hindustan Times reported on Sunday. The officers tied Dr Sudhakar’s hands and bundled him into an autorickshaw before taking him to the police station.
The video of Dr K Sudhakar, bare-chested and being dragged on the street by a police constable, went viral on social media. Sudhakar, an anesthesiologist at Narsipatnam Government Hospital, was suspended earlier this month after he alleged that the state was not providing an adequate number of Personal Protective Equipment and N95 masks to doctors combating the coronavirus pandemic.
Visakhapatnam Commissioner of Police RK Meena announced that the constable in question has been suspended pending inquiry.
Opposition parties, including the Telugu Desam Party and the Communist Party of India condemned the incident, alleging that it reflects the state of affairs in Jagan Mohan Reddy-ruled Andhra Pradesh. “It was an inhuman treatment meted out to a Dalit doctor for questioning the inefficiency of the government,” Telugu Desam Party leader Varla Ramaiah said.
However, Meena said that the doctor was drunk and behaved rudely with the police. He alleged that Sudhakar grabbed a mobile phone from a police officer and threw it away. “The doctor is apparently suffering from some psychological problems,” Meena said. We have sent him to King George Hospital for medical examination. After receiving the medical report, we shall book a case against Sudhakar under appropriate sections of the Indian Penal Code.”
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