CUDDALORE: Former DMDK MLA P Sivakozhundhu (55) was booked on Monday for allegedly assaulting a woman doctor on duty at Panruti Government Hospital. The ex-MLA, however, denied the complaint and said he had only condemned the doctor for her carelessness and protested against it.
According to a source the ex-MLA had taken his four-year-old grandson, who was bitten by a stray dog in the face, to the hospital on Saturday night.
Explaining his version of the events that followed, Sivakozhundhu said, "The duty doctor asked us to wash the injured area. We replied that it was her duty to clean the injury and apply medicine. But, she didn't listen to our words and started taking a video of us when we questioned her." The boy was then taken to the Cuddalore Government Hospital and the ex-MLA, with his supporters, staged a protest in front of the duty doctor's room. Later, the Panruti police pacified Sivakozhundhu and cleared him and his supporters from the premises.
Meanwhile, based on a complaint from the doctor S Vijayalakshmi (37), the police filed case against Sivakozhundhu under five sections of the IPC including section 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), and 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty). Further inquiry is on.
According to sources from the locality, the public had already raised many complaints about the duty doctors at the hospital saying they were not attending patients directly and the nursing staff were only doing the work. A video of Sivakozhundhu arguing with the duty doctor had gone viral on social media. Officials from the hospital were not available for comments.