Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav at the indefinite fast in Bhagalpur on Monday. Picture by Amit Kumar

Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav on Monday lambasted Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the local Congress for suppressing a crime allegedly committed by a doctor here.

He also accused the local administration of supporting the doctor, accused of outraging a woman’s modesty. Pappu was also vocal against the RJD leadership for supporting political parties that have turned a deaf ear to the voice of the majority, which is seeking appropriate action against the doctor.

To show solidarity with the 22-year-old molest victim and to protest against the police’s delay in providing her justice, the Madhepura MP began a fast-unto-death from Monday along with hundreds of residents under the banner of Goshaidaspur Mahapanchayat at the Town Hall here.

The IMA state chapter has, meanwhile, decided to protest the increasing incidents of attack on doctors by taking out a rally in Patna on November 19. Doctors associated with the Junior Doctors’ Association, Bihar Health Services Association, Bihar Dental Association, Bihar Ayush Association and Contractual Doctors’ Association would join the rally.

Pappu asked in Bhagalpur: “When a victim is accusing a doctor of sexual harassment, why is the local administration delaying the doctor’s arrest? Why isn’t it following the amendments in Section 354(B) of CrPc after Delhi’s Nirbhaya incident?”

Dr Ajay Kumar, the general secretary of Bihar Health Services Association, said: “Doctors are at the receiving end, be it the Bhagalpur incident in which molestation charges have been framed against a surgeon, formation of the Clinical Establishment Act by the state government or the recent abduction of a junior doctor of Patna Medical College and Hospital. The doctors’ community is being targeted from every side. The Chhattisgarh case is another case in point. We want to attract the state government and the people’s attention toward this problem.”

He added that around 1,000 doctors of the district would join the rally on Wednesday. “We don’t want to disturb the services of the hospitals. So, we will take out the rally for an hour at lunchtime after which we would rejoin work,” said Dr Ajay.