An alleged assault on a doctor at a hospital in Delhi has sparked a huge political row between the ruling BJP and opposition Aam Aadmi Party. An intern at the national capital's Acharya Bhikshu Hospital, located in Moti Nagar, has alleged that he was assaulted by BJP MLA Harish Khurana inside the hospital's emergency section on Thursday.
A CCTV grab from the hospital shows the MLA engaged in a heated exchange with doctors, gesturing aggressively during the confrontation.
While the footage does not display physical violence, the intern claimed in a formal complaint that Mr Khurana had pushed and abused him.
In a letter to the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, the intern alleged that a group of 5-6 people, accompanying a child with a minor injury, had entered the casualty ward around 11.15 am.
According to the complaint, when he requested help from his senior colleague, who was attending another critical patient, the group began shouting, abusing, and physically intimidating him.
The intern wrote that one man identified himself as the MLA, used foul language, and allegedly pushed him onto his seat, while shouting, "Do you know who I am?" The doctors also alleged that hospital security did not intervene despite repeated calls for help.
The complaint requested that a police case be filed against the MLA and demanded more security in the casualty ward.
Former health minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj, condemned the incident on social media and demanded the release of CCTV footage.
"The doctors have demanded the footage of the Delhi Government hospital to expose the actions of Harish Khurana. And have demanded an Institutional FIR against him. Why has Mr. Khurana not released the CCTV footage yet?" his post read.
Mr Khurana, the BJP MLA from Moti Nagar, has flatly denied the allegations and said that the Aam Aadmi Party should stop "spreading lies".
He has challenged Mr Bhardwaj to produce the footage where he is seen assaulting doctors.
"For the past few days I have been getting complaints against doctors -- that they were misbehaving with patients. Today I went for surprise inspection with a mask on to find out the truth. The truth that came out was that some doctors were not even wearing aprons, and some were standing there even off duty. So, this drama has been created to save them," he said in a video message posted on X.
The Federation of Resident Doctors' Association has condemned the alleged violence against the intern doctor, and raised questions on the law and order in Delhi.
The Student Council of Dr RML Hospital has also written to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta apprising her of the incident and demanding action against the MLA involved.
The doctors at the hospital have demanded protection and warned that they will not resume duties until "adequate action" is taken.
"This is not merely an attack on two doctors, it is a direct assault on the dignity, security and morale of the entire medical fraternity. Such lawless acts gravely compromise patient care, create a hostile work environment, and ruin the doctor-patient relationship," they said in a letter to the Director of the RML hospital.
