Doctor rejects Goa Health Minister’s ‘studio’ apology, demands public one at hospital
Panaji: Dr Rajesh Kuttikar, the casualty medical officer at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), has refused to accept Health Minister Vishwajit Rane’s apology for publicly humiliating him during a surprise hospital visit last week. The incident, caught on camera and aired widely, triggered outrage in the medical community.
On June 9, Rane issued an apology via social media, stating on X (formerly Twitter): “During the broadcast with Prudent Media last night, I openly extended my heartfelt apology to Dr. Rudresh Kuttikar for the harsh words spoken by me during my visit to GMC.” He added that his emotions got the better of him and that he never intended to disrespect any medical professional.
However, Dr Kuttikar rejected the statement, calling it a “studio apology.” Speaking to reporters, he demanded a public apology at the same hospital site where the humiliation occurred. “We require a public apology in the casualty itself within 24 hours,” he said, warning that failure to do so would lead to a strike.
The Goa Association of Resident Doctors (GARD), which had issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the minister, is likely to go ahead with a mass shutdown of routine services if their demand is not met. Emergency care will reportedly continue.
The controversy began on June 7 when Rane, during an unannounced inspection at GMCH, reprimanded Dr Kuttikar in front of cameras. The minister was reportedly angered after a patient seeking a Vitamin B-12 injection was turned away from the casualty ward, which is reserved for emergency care. During the confrontation, Rane ordered the doctor to remove his mask, take his hands out of his pockets, and “learn to behave.”
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant later clarified that Dr Kuttikar would not be suspended, but the issue has continued to escalate.
GARD also criticised the “VIP culture” interfering with emergency healthcare and reiterated that medical decisions must be based on triage and clinical urgency, not social or political status.
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Plea about 'threat' to Rahul Gandhi filed without his consent, to be withdrawn: Lawyer
Pune, Aug 13 (PTI): Hours after filing a plea in a court here claiming apprehension of threat to Rahul Gandhi from the followers of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the Congress leader's lawyer on Wednesday said it was filed without Gandhi's consent, and would be withdrawn.
He will submit another application on Thursday to withdraw the `Pursis' or the application filed before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde, said Advocate Milind Pawar.
Pawar is representing Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case filed by Satyaki Savarkar, grand-nephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, over certain statements made by the Congress leader against the late freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue.
He drafted the application without consulting Gandhi and the latter has taken a "strong exception to the filing of this Pursis and expressed his disagreement with its contents", the lawyer said in a press release late in the evening.
The application filed by advocate Pawar earlier in the day said that complainant Satyaki Savarkar had admitted that he is also a direct descendant, through maternal lineage, of Nathuram Godse and Gopal Godse, principal accused in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and recently held a press conference in Delhi, placing before the nation evidence of electoral fraud by the Election Commission, the application said.
"Furthermore, during the parliamentary debate on the subject of Hindutva, there was a heated exchange between the Prime Minister and Shri Rahul Gandhi, a matter well known to the public. Against this backdrop, there is little doubt that the complainant, his great-grandfathers (the Godses), those connected with the ideology of Vinayak Savarkar, and some followers of Savarkar who are presently in power, may harbor hostility or resentment towards Gandhi," the application said.
"In light of the documented history of violent and anti-constitutional tendencies linked to the complainant's lineage, and considering the prevailing political climate, there exists a clear, reasonable, and substantial apprehension that Rahul Gandhi may face harm, wrongful implication, or other forms of targeting by persons subscribing to the ideology of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar," the application stated.
The Pune court has already granted bail to Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case. The trial is yet to begin.
Reacting to the development, Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, Satyaki Savarkar's lawyer, asked why the application was filed in the first place. "This is nothing but an attempt to delay the trial by moving such frivolous pleas," he said.
Satyaki Savarkar has filed a defamation complaint against Rahul Gandhi, alleging that in a speech made in London in March 2023, the Congress leader claimed that V D Savarkar had written in a book that he and five to six of his friends once beat up a Muslim man and he (Savarkar) felt happy.
No such incident ever took place, and V D Savarkar never wrote any such thing anywhere, the complaint claimed.
