Kathmandu, April 16

Metropolitan Police Office, Ranipokhari, has initiated action against erring police personnel, including Deputy Superintendent of Police Umesh Lamsal, head of Maharajgunj-based Metropolitan Police Circle, for allegedly thrashing three doctors who were returning from duty.

The cops had assaulted doctors near Kanti Children’s Hospital, Maharajgunj, at around 8:15 pm yesterday. DSP Lamsal was leading a team of five police personnel during a regular police patrol when the incident occurred.

Following the incident, DSP Lamsal has been relieved of his responsibilities as the MPC head and recalled to MPO,  Ranipokhari, along  with five other police personnel who baton- charged doctors.

The MPO has also formed a probe committee led by Senior Superintendent of Police Kiran Bajracharya to investigate the case. Other members of the panel are Superintendent of Police Mukesh Singh and DSP Hobindra Bogati.

Shambhu Khanal and Tej Prakash, third year residents of internal medicine at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, and Bikas Shah, a pediatrician at Kanti Children’s Hospital, were beaten up even though they showed their identity cards to police personnel.

The doctors were returning to their rented flat after wrapping up their duties. All three were taken by surprise when the on-duty police personnel approached them stopping the patrol vehicle. The police personnel, who doctors said were in no mood to listen to them, baton-charged the doctors.

“The baton-charge lasted a minute or two. They approached us arrogantly and did not want to hear what we had to say. They started hitting us all of a sudden when we were just a couple of blocks from our flat,” said Khanal. Prakash suffered injuries on his forearm and shoulder.

After police left, the doctors went back to the hospital for X-ray screening and treatment, which luckily didn’t show any fractures.

The Nepal Medical Association, the professional organisation of medical doctors and dentists, has condemned police action and demanded an investigation into the incident.

“This act of violence against doctors is not acceptable. We demand stringent action against the cops involved in thrashing the doctors,” read the press release. The National Resident Doctors Association has demanded action against the guilty policemen.

The MPO, issuing a press release later, said it would investigate the incident and take action against the erring cops.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on April 17, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.