Two Muslim men, named Gulam Mustafa and Abdul Fazil, have been arrested in connection with the assault on a doctor on the 28th of December in Hyderabad.
Dr Michael Aranha, who runs a clinic in Himayathnagar, was admitted to a hospital with serious injuries to his head and chest. The assault on the Doctor had allegedly cracked four of his ribs and damaged his lungs.
Dr Uday Prakash, director of Udai Omni Hospital where Dr Aranha is admitted, told TOI, “He was in agony when brought in and could barely breathe. He had suffered pneumothorax (multiple rib fractures) and is currently recovering from it. He is stable now but could have been much worse, if there was any further delay in medical attention. His lungs were punctured by the broken ribs and the air had collected outside of them.”
The accused alleged that the attack was motivated by misbehaviour with a woman who happens to be the wife of one of the accused. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) P Vishwa Prasad said, “After an investigation, we found that a woman had gone with a child for a check-up and had an altercation with the doctor. She was apparently angry that the doctor made her wait for long. After leaving the clinic she called her husband, who arrived with an accomplice and assaulted the doctor. The motive for the offence is alleged insult of the woman.”
Apparently, the woman has lodged a complaint against the Doctor and a case has been registered against the victim of the attack as well. “We have registered a case under IPC Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) against Dr Aranha. Further investigation is underway,” said Prasad. However, speaking to TOI, Prasad said that the allegations against the Doctor were not coherent. Dr Sanjeev Singh, secretary of the Indian Medical Association, Telangana, also maintained that the accused were levelling false accusations against the Doctor to justify their assault.
Meanwhile, the Indian Association of Paediatrics (IAP), Twin Cities has said that private clinics, nursing homes and a few corporate hospitals have shut down outpatient services for paediatric cases for 24 hours in the State capital. It also condemned the assault on the Doctor.