Manhandling a doctor

Unfortunate indeed was the incident in which two police officials manhandled a physician in the City’s biggest Lady Reading Hospital. As the details would have it, Dr Haleem of Surgical-B Ward of LRH happened the other night to visit a relation who was under treatment in the Gynecology Ward. As the chance would have it, two police officials named Arif and Saeed sat listening at high volume to music in a van just outside the ward. In view of the discomfort caused by loud music to patients that grimaced in pain on their beds, the doctor forbade the flippant members of the law enforcing agency to indulge in the teenage pursuit. Taking it as snub, the policemen marched angrily out of the vehicle, dragged the surgeon out and beat him up in full public view. As if this was not insulting and humiliating enough, the cops took the helpless physician to the nearby police post and kept him in habeas corpus for four hours before they finally let him go on condition of staying mum over the incident. Relationship between police and the medical staff of government hospitals has by and large been pleasant and cordial. However, the recent incidents of violence and militancy in the City have radically changed the chemistry of the people in all walks of life. Tempers run high at minor provocations and people come to blows at the least temptation. Just like doctors, the members of the law enforcing agency also remain under tremendous stress all the day long. However, that does not mean that they should throw all scruples to the wind. Custodians of law behaved almost like drunken policemen and there certainly was no point in taking the doctor to the police post and keeping him under detention for four hours. The incident probably merits a high-level probe in order to right the wrong.