A confrontation at Nagpur’s Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital, popularly known as Mayo Hospital, has led to police complaints from a resident doctor and a police constable, while resident doctors’ organisations have demanded stronger security measures for healthcare workers.
The incident took place at the hospital’s casualty department on Wednesday afternoon after police constable Ranjit Jadhav brought his 20-year-old son Vedant for treatment following a finger injury sustained while cleaning a motorcycle. According to police, an argument began when resident doctor Dr Sameer Chandekar, 27, attended to another critical patient before examining Vedant.
The complaint filed by Chandekar at Tehsil police station alleges that Jadhav confronted and assaulted him. Police said Vedant also allegedly pushed and hit the doctor and scratched his hand. The complaint further alleges that Jadhav threatened the doctor. Tehsil police registered an offence against the constable and his son for allegedly assaulting a doctor on duty, issuing threats and obstructing government work.
Jadhav subsequently filed a counter-complaint. He alleged that doctors refused to provide medical papers when he sought to take his son to another facility, and that he was abused and threatened. The constable also alleged that Chandekar and seven to eight other doctors confined him and his son in a room behind the Mayo police outpost for nearly one-and-a-half hours.
Based on Jadhav’s complaint, police registered an offence against Chandekar and seven to eight unidentified doctors. No arrests have been made in either case, and police are investigating both complaints. The allegations in the two cases have not been established by a court.
The incident has brought renewed attention to the security arrangements surrounding government hospitals, where casualty departments must manage patients with varying levels of urgency while maintaining access for families and attendants. The competing complaints also underline the need for hospitals and police to establish a clear, documented process for handling disputes over treatment priority, medical records and patient transfers.
The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors, the Government Medical College unit in Nagpur and Central MARD condemned the incident and called for effective preventive measures to protect resident doctors and other healthcare professionals. A joint delegation met newly appointed IGGMC dean Dr Avinash Gawande and emphasised that violence against healthcare workers should not be tolerated.
The delegation sought strict administrative intervention, effective security arrangements and preventive measures so resident doctors can carry out their professional responsibilities without fear of violence or intimidation. Police investigation into both complaints and the hospital administration’s response will determine the next steps in the matter.
