In yet another embarrassing incident for the national capital as well as the whole country, two female doctors of Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital were allegedly physically assaulted by a man on Wednesday night.
The incident took place when the two doctors were buying grocery from a store in Gautam Nagar area.
The police swung into action and arrested the 44-year-old man after an FIR was registered in the case.
“We have registered a case and arrested the accused in connection with the incident,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said.
The man allegedly hit the doctors — who are posted at Emergency Department of Safdarjung Hospital — while accusing them of spreading Coronavirus.
“The two doctors were posted in the Emergency Ward. At around 9 p.m. while they were buying vegetables, a man asked them to step aside accusing them for spreading coronavirus,” President of Resident Doctors Association, Safdarjung Hospital, Dr Manish Kumar said.
“When the doctors retaliated and argued with the man on his accusation, he slapped them and twisted their hand,” he added.
The local residents intervened and saved the doctors but the man fled the spot.
Corroborating RDA president’s version, police said, the incident occurred in Gulmohar Enclave area, where the two women had gone to buy fruits.
On seeing them, the man began making remarks on the need of social distancing, accusing doctors like them of are spreading infection in residential areas.
As the two women retorted that they knew well the importance of social distancing and sought to reason with them, the man got aggressive and abusive, saying he would get a case registered against them.
When the two women were about to leave following the spat, the man assaulted them and even touched the 29-year-old woman her inappropriately, said police, adding the man left the place after that.
Both the victims were medically examined, said police.
Cases of attacks on those at the frontline of the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic has been emerging from different parts of the country.
In Madhya Pradesh, healthcare workers and civic officials were attacked by a mob of angry locals in Indore on April 1, as they visited the area to screen residents for signs of novel Coronavirus infection.
Two women doctors were injured in the attack and had to be rescued by police.
Meanwhile, quarantined Tablighi Jamaat members have also created ruckus in hospitals in the past days. They have been accused of disturbing law and order and obscene behaviour in hospitals.