Santipur, Nov. 12: A young doctor attached to a state government run hospital in Nadia’s Phulia was allegedly beaten up by a group of youths on Sunday morning as he failed to pay them Kali puja donation instantly on the spot since he forgot to take the wallet with him while leaving home for duty.
The doctor pleaded to be allowed to pay later but the puja organizers took away his motorcycle key and thrashed him at random until a police team from the local outpost being alerted by local residents rushed to the spot and rescued him.
Sujan Das, 29, a resident of Santipur, was taken to Santipur block primary health centre in Phulia, where he works as a Medical Officer. He was later shifted to Ranaghat sub divisional hospital. But in the evening family members admitted him to a private hospital in Ranaghat town since he developed serious respiratory problems.
Santipur police meanwhile, started a case based on a complaint lodged by the doctor. Police have arrested Manik Ghosh, one of the suspected persons allegedly involved behind the attack on the doctor. SDPO Ranaghat Prabir Mondal said, “We are trying to find out other persons involved in the incident”.
Police and local sources said that at about 8 am some youths at the Buincha Ghoshpara More stopped the doctor for Kali puja donation, who was then going to join duty riding his motorcycle.
“I was in a hurry to join duty when some youths stopped me for puja donation at Buincha Ghoshpara. I assured them to pay on the way back home. But they refused to relent and asked me to pay instantly. Finding no way, I decided to pay. But soon realized that I had left my wallet at home. So I explained the problem and requested them to allow me to pay later. But, the youths turned aggressive and began abusing me. Suddenly one of them took away my motorcycle key and mobile phone. This led to an altercation when they began thrashing me at random”, Das said. “I was lucky to be rescued in time by police who rushed me to hospital and also took a complaint from me”, he added further.
Block medical officer (Health) Puja Moitra and other doctors examined Das at the Santipur block primary health centre and referred him to Ranaghat sub divisional hospital. “He was in a state of trauma being thrashed by the youths. He developed chest pain after the incident and suffered respiratory troubles. We provided oxygen support. But since his problem continued we shifted him to Ranaghat for better clinical management”, said Puja Moitra told The NfN.
Sibaji Kar, a senior doctor and a family friend of Das, “Sujan has also suffered a head injury, and a CT scan of the brain has been advised by a doctor. It is quite hard to digest that a doctor today suffered a threat to his life delay in puja donation”. None of the puja organizers, however, could be contacted for comment.
Residents in Phulia alleged that on several points in local pockets of roads, puja organizers unleashed a terror demanding donations from bikers and motorists. “With police preferred to remain silent apparently due to political pressure, puja organizers often force innocent persons to pay donations as per their demands. The youths who attacked the doctor today have been collecting money for more than a week by stopping vehicles, but police took no action even though the local outpost is located barely within 1 km from the spot”.
A senior police officer of Ranaghat police district said, “The menace of Kali puja donation has been largely brought under control due to our continued vigilance. Today’s incident is just a mere exception”.