A sub-inspector of police, who was on leave, was arrested for forcibly removing a patient’s oxygen mask for his mother and beating up the health, security and police personnel who tried to resist him at a government hospital in Lalgola, Murshidabad, late on Tuesday night.
Accused Asraful Sheikh of Birbhum police was reportedly intoxicated when he forcibly removed an oxygen mask from a patient for his ailing mother in a misguided act of love.
Sheikh, a resident of Lalgola, arrived at the Krishnapur Rural Hospital around 10pm with his ill mother and some others. He allegedly threatened hospital staff, demanding immediate treatment for her.
Despite assurances from nurses that oxygen would be arranged, he forcibly took a mask from a patient and placed it on his mother. When doctors and nurses objected, he allegedly assaulted them.
Hospital authorities alerted security, prompting two civic volunteers to intervene. However, Sheikh allegedly attacked them as well.
“We called security, but he thrashed the civic volunteers too. They had to call the police station for help,” said a hospital employee.
A police team led by Lalgola OC Atanu Das arrived at the hospital and attempted to pacify Sheikh, but he allegedly assaulted them as well. A police officer and two civic volunteers were injured and admitted to the same hospital. Sheikh was arrested along with five of his family members, including his newly married wife Priyanka Das and his father.
Birbhum SP Amandeep said Sheikh had been suspended.
A suo motu case was filed by Lalgola police in addition to a complaint by the hospital’s doctor, Arindam Biswas.
Block medical health officer of Lalgola, Mirajul Sheikh, said: “Around 10pm, a group led by Asraful Sheikh removed an oxygen mask from a patient and placed it on their own patient. When doctors and nurses objected, they were harassed and abused. Even police officers on duty were assaulted.”
Additional SP (Lalbagh) Jaspreet Singh condemned the incident.
“It is unfortunate that a police officer misbehaved with hospital staff, acted inhumanely with patients, and even attacked fellow officers. A police officer and two civic volunteers were injured. We have arrested him and five family members,” the ASP.
Sheikh, who previously served as the OC of multiple police stations in Birbhum, was posted in the district’s DIB unit, but was on leave for his wedding when the incident occurred.
On Wednesday, Sheikh and the other accused were produced before the Lalbagh additional chief judicial magistrate's court, which remanded him to 14 days in police
custody.