Patna, March 19: A person was arrested late last evening under the Bihar Medical Service Institution and Personal Protection Act for allegedly assaulting two doctors after his wife died of meningitis. This is the first arrest under the law introduced around six months ago.

Police today said Dr N.K. Jha and Dr Vani Kumar were beaten up at Purnea Sadar Hopital by 25-year-old Rajesh Thakur and some of his relatives early on Sunday, after Asha Devi, Thakur’s wife, died. The accused reportedly slapped the two doctors before using sticks to assault them in the presence of his aides.

“One of them was even carrying a big knife. While Jha’s shoulder joint was dislocated, fingers on Kumar’s left hand were fractured. His wrist also suffered a deep incision in the brutal attack. Both of them have suffered serious head injuries and are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Purnea at present,” said Dr S.K. Verma, the general secretary of the Purnea wing of Bihar Health Services Association (BHSA), which represents government doctors in the state.

Jha is a permanent doctor at the hospital while Kumar is associated with the health institution on contract.

Thakur was taken in custody late on Sunday evening after the BHSA members persuaded the police to book the accused under the Bihar Medical Service Institution and Personal Protection Act.

Dr Ajay Kumar, the general secretary of the association, told The Telegraph: “Though the act came into effect in September last year, the police do not know about it yet. We had to convince them to arrest the accused under the act.”

Arvind Kumar, the station house officer of Khajanchi Haat police station, where the case was registered, admitted that he did not know about the provisions of the act.

“After the BHSA members approached me, I read about the act on the government website and lodged a case under Section 4 of the act apart from sections 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 332 and 333 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code,” the officer said.

He added that Thakur was presented before the magistrate today. He had been sent to jail, as he was booked under a non-bailable section of the Bihar Medical Service Institution and Personal Protection Act. Hunt is on to nab the five other unnamed co-accused in the case, he said.