Punjab health minister under fire for forcing surgeon to lie down on dirty mattress
Chandigarh (PTI): Punjab Health Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra has come under fire from several quarters after he was seen forcing the Vice Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) to lie on a dirty mattress at a hospital.
VC Raj Bahadur has been learnt to have resigned and requested the Punjab Chief Minister to relieve him from services.
The incident happened Friday, when Jouramajra was on an inspection to Faridkot's Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, which comes under the BFUHS.
A video clip of the incident that circulated on the social media, showed Jouramajra place a hand on the veteran surgeon's shoulder as he pointed towards the "damaged and dirty condition" of the mattress inside the hospital's skin department.
The minister is then seen to be allegedly forcing Dr Bahadur to lie down on the same mattress.
Bahadur in the video is seen explaining to the minister that he was not responsible for the facilities, to which the AAP leader retorted everything is in your hands.
After the incident, Bahadur reportedly told Bhagwant Mann that that kind of atmosphere was not conducive for his work, and requested him to relieve him of his duties.
Bahadur, 71, who has an experience of over four decades having worked at various reputed health institutions too, told PTI over phone on Saturday that he felt humiliated after the minister's behaviour with him.
Asked if he had resigned as the Vice Chancellor, Bahadur said, I have expressed my anguish to the Chief Minister and said I felt humiliated.
Sources said that the CM has taken a strong view of the incident and spoken to Jouramajra. Mann is also learnt to have asked Bahadur to meet him next week.
"When you work so hard and put in your best efforts, one does feel low when you have to face this kind of behaviour," Bahadur said about Friday's incident.
Bahadur, a specialist in spinal surgery and joint replacement, is a former director-principal of Government Medical College and Hospital in Chandigarh and has also been the head of the orthopaedic department at PGIMER, Chandigarh.
The minister, meanwhile, drew flak from various quarters, including the Indian Medical Association.
PCMS Association, a doctors' body in Punjab, too in a statement, strongly condemned the "unceremonious treatment" meted out to Dr Bahadur.
PCMSA said the way the VC was treated was deplorable , its reason notwithstanding.
The body expressed its deep resentment" over the incident and said "public shaming of a senior doctor on systemic issues is strongly condemnable.
Opposition parties hit out at the AAP dispensation over the incident. Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring demanded the minister's resignation.
"Punjab Health Minister @jouramajra's humiliating behaviour with Dr Raj Bahadur is highly condemnable. Minister must apologise," Warring tweeted.
"The sort of behaviour meted by the Health Minister to VC Baba Farid Medical University Dr. Raj Bahadur is absolutely uncalled for. @BhagwantMann ji should take strict action against the arrogant Minister, senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa said in a tweet.
Otherwise such behaviour will alienate our medical fraternity, he continued in the same tweet. Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal called out the minister for "reprehensible behaviour."
"Have spoken to Dr Bahadur & expressed solidarity with him besides assuring full support to entire med fraternity which is being targeted by AAP ministers & MLAs," Badal said in a tweet.
BJP leader Sunil Jakhar said the treatment meted out to distinguished Dr Raj Bahadur is shameful & totally unacceptable.
"Very sad that Dr Raj Bhadur (sic) has resigned, but he has done what any self respecting person would do, Jakhar said in a tweet.
Now it's for @BhagwantMann to do what any conscientious CM ought to do-sack the health minister, if that's what it takes to prevail upon Dr Raj Bhadur (sic) to withdraw his resignation, he wrote.
Cheap theatrics of Aam Aadmi Party never ceases. Today the Vice Chancellor of Baba Farid Medical University,Raj Bahadur Singh was publicly humiliated by the Health minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra (+2 Pass).This type of mob behaviour will only demoralise our medical staff. pic.twitter.com/ZGJCbEPjhm
— Pargat Singh (@PargatSOfficial) July 29, 2022
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Vijay unable to prove majority, not invited for CM oath ceremony: Sources
Chennai: Actor-politician Vijay has reportedly not been invited to take oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after failing to demonstrate support from the required number of MLAs, sources in Raj Bhavan said.
According to media reports that quoted sources in the office of R.N. Ravi Arlekar, Vijay could not prove the backing of 118 legislators, the majority mark in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Despite last-minute efforts to secure support from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazagam (AMMK), and an IUML legislator, Vijay reportedly managed support from only 116 MLAs, falling short by two members.
Sources said Vijay failed to submit letters of support from the VCK and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Later, the IUML issued a statement clarifying that it was not part of the TVK-led alliance.
Meanwhile, AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran is also said to have informed the Governor that his party would support the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) instead.
Earlier in the evening, Vijay had met Governor Arlekar and staked claim to form the government, stating that he enjoyed the support of 118 MLAs.
