Bhavnagar DDO Baranwal metes out exemplary punishment to eight neighbours for abusing doctor

GNN | Mar 30, 2020, 10:36 AM IST|

• Made to clean quarantine facility
• Neighbours had opposed doctor’s stay as he had treated corona patient

Gujarat News Network

Bhavnagar, March 30, 2020: In an exemplary punishment, eight neighbours of a local doctor were made to clean the government quarantine facility in Bhavnagar’s Sir T Hospital on Sunday (March 29).
GNN learns this was done as a punishment for allegedly abusing a doctor, who had given primary treatment to a Covid-19 patient who died on March 26.
On Saturday (March 28) night, the eight persons allegedly attacked Dr Girish Makwana’s nephews and abused the doctor and his sister Rasila. Dr Makwana, who is home quarantined, was part of team that had treated the coronavirus patient in a private hospital. The attackers were neighbours who feared that their children might get infected with the deadly virus.
In a complaint with the police, Rasila gave details about the attack and the abuse. After being asked to stay at home, Dr Makwana went to live in Subhashnagar area of Bhavnagar at his sister’s house which was vacant for the past few months. When Rasila’s nephews - Dharmesh and Mehul - came to give tiffin on Saturday evening to Dr Makwana, eight persons living in the neighborhood picked up a quarrel with them saying that the doctor should not be staying there. They then allegedly thrashed the boys with sticks and pipes, Rasila alleged in her complaint.
The eight neighbours were called for questioning by the B-division police and then allowed to go. However, the Bhavnagar district administration stepped in and ordered them to clean the inside and outside area of the quarantine facility set up in Bhavnagar as a punishment after the incident sparked anger amongst the doctor fraternity.
District Development Officer (DDO), VJ Baranwal told TNN, “When I visited few hospitals on Sunday, doctors complained to me that such behaviour with medicos and their relatives, that too at the time of pandemic, was unacceptable and discouraging. So, we asked these eight persons to see how doctors worked in quarantine facilities. We did not want the attackers to repeat such an act.”
However, one of the eight also lodged a cross complaint against Rasila, alleging she thrashed them when they asked her not to keep a ‘suspected COVID-19’ person at her house.
The complainant said they were scared that their children might get infected.