SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, May 7: It is now an official figure that in five months of 2022, five doctors including a lady medical officer of state government, have been attacked and kidnapped for extortion in Jharkhand.
The demand from the criminals has created so much terror among the medicos of the state that they have begun to shut down their health centres and are switching over to other states. A doctor shut his clinic in Dhanbad four days ago and shifted out of state with family after receiving an extortion call.
Notably, out of the five incidents, four have occurred alone in Dhanbad.
First incident- Dhanbad
It all started with the firing on Dr Vijay Pratap Sinha of the orthopaedics department at Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) Dhanbad. Dr Sinha was returning by car from Govindpur at night around 10.30 pm when criminals fired on him near the Amghata area. The bullet crossed touching his jaw.
Second incident-Dhanbad
A few days later the criminals attacked SNMMCH microbiology head of the department Dr Sujit Kumar Tiwari near Steel Gate under Saraidhela police station on January 12. Dr Tiwari escaped unhurt but his driver received a severe injury. An FIR was lodged as the doctor identified one of the criminals.
Third incident-Latehar
The third incident rocked the entire state in February when a lady medical officer Dr Neelam Kumari of Latehar posted at Chandwa PHC was kidnapped from the hospital. The criminals released her in Ramgarh district after allegedly getting extortion money. When the Latehar district administration arrested a criminal in this connection, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) called off its strike. IMA women’s wing president Dr Bharti Kashyap had called it a major issue as for the first time, a lady doctor had been kidnapped for extortion.
Fourth incident-Dhanbad
On April 28, the secretary of Dhanbad IMA Dr Sushil Kumar Singh was attacked by two bike-borne criminals in the evening. Dr Singh was coming from Rajrappa along with his wife by a car when criminals attacked him in Dhanbad under the Govindpur police station area. They smashed the windows of the car to hit him. An FIR was lodged in Govindpur police station but no one has been arrested so far.
Fifth incident- Dhanbad
The last incident is of Dr Samir Kumar, who runs Suyash Clinic in Matkuria under Bank More police station, shut down the health centre after receiving an extortion demand of Rs 1 crore on May 2. He has left Dhanbad with his family.
“There are many medicos in the state who have received extortion calls but have not disclosed it,” said IMA state vice-president and State Private Hospitals Board (Association) chairman Dr RS Das of Ranchi.
Last year, IMA Ranchi chapter secretary Dr Shambhu Prasad also received an extortion demand. In Dhanbad, senior doctor Umashankar Singh (Katras) and IMA executive president Dr Major Chandon were assaulted. Whereas in Deoghar, Dr Manish Kumar was brutally attacked and criminals got him to sign a blank cheque.
