Video Shows Injured Karnataka Doctor, 50, Assaulted After Boy's Death

Four people have been arrested and charged with attempt to murder following an assault on a 50-year-old doctor earlier this week in Karnataka's Chikkamagaluru district allegedly over the death of a six-year-old patient, the police have said.

Dr Deepak was assaulted on Monday in Chikkamagaluru's Tarikere town, district Superintendent of Police MH Akshay told NDTV. A video shows the injured doctor after the assault. 

"Four people from the same taluka were arrested within 18 hours of the crime taking place. Dr Deepak was treating a 6-year-old child, Bhuvan, for dengue. After the child developed complications, he was shifted to Shivamogga where he later died. Of the four held, one is the child's relative, the rest are friends," Mr Akshay said

The doctor is receiving treatment in Shivamogga.

Resident doctors in Karnataka have written to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa demanding the setting up of a legal cell to deal with such attacks.

"Doctors across Karnataka are putting their best to bring out best health care facility possible. However it is sad to note that there are more than 12 registered incidents of assault on healthcare workers in the past 8-10 months while the unnoticed, unregistered assaults, and also incidents of verbal abuse, threats, and hampering of duties, can amount to hundreds," reads the letter.

In a similar incident, a doctor at a coronavirus facility in Assam's Hojai, around 140 kilometres from Guwahati, was on Tuesday mercilessly punched, kicked, and pounded with metal trash cans and bricks by the relatives of a Covid patient who had died. Twenty-four people have been arrested in the case.