Two groups of about fifteen persons engaged in violent altercations within the emergency ward of the Civil Hospital in Dera Bassi, Punjab, early on Sunday morning. Only a few days had passed since an assault at the Zirakpur Community Health Centre had victimized a doctor. The two groups began a disagreement at around three in the morning, which swiftly turned into a chaotic battle that terrified hospital staff, patients, and their relatives.
The hospital sustained physical damage as a result of the altercation. During the battle, chairs, furniture, and even fire extinguishers were thrown as weapons. Doctors and paramedics from the hospital attempted to step in, but the restless people, who were mostly young guys, misbehaved and even got into violent altercations with them. Ten minutes or so passed during the fight, during which time patients and staff scrambled to get away from the mayhem.
The conflict started when about five patients—among them a woman—came to the hospital for treatment after fighting earlier in Zirakpur. Not long after they arrived, a second group of ten to fifteen people followed them into the hospital and got into an argument that quickly turned violent. Witnesses and medical staff characterized the fighting, object-throwing, and general mayhem as a state of fear and danger.
The hospital watchman said that he was not at the scene of the altercation because he had left to go do some job in another building. Senior Medical Officer Dharminder Singh formally reported the event to the local police when it happened.
A case was opened at the Dera Bassi police station after the complaint. Nihal, a Zirakpur native, and the other fifteen participants in the altercation are named in the complaint. The Punjab Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property Act and laws 221, 324 (3), 190, and 191 of the BNS (which may be connected to local legal codes) are among the laws under which the police have filed the First Information Report. Under the direction of Dera Bassi Station House Officer (SHO) Mandeep Singh, the police have launched an inquiry to learn all the circumstances of the altercation and apprehend the perpetrators.
This violent episode has aroused concerns about security at public healthcare facilities, especially after the recent assault on a doctor in Zirakpur. It also draws attention to the dangers that healthcare professionals must deal with because they frequently find themselves in hazardous situations.
SOURCE :
THE TRIBUNE
