Bhubaneswar, May 11: A doctor in the tribal-dominated Malkangiri district, who had allegedly taken bribe from a Bonda woman for a ceasarean operation, was made to return the money following protests by local residents.

Bondas, a primitive tribe, live mostly in Malkangiri and Koraput districts.

Officials said the Bonda woman, who is in her thirties, from Mudilipada, around 40km from the Malkangiri district headquarters town, was admitted to the district hospital on May 5 following labour pain.

Her husband Guru Sisa had approached the gynaecologist Nirmal Nayak to take care of her.

However, the doctor refused to treat her and demanded that the family members to pay him Rs 5,000.

When the poor Guru Sisa said he did not have so much money, the doctor reportedly told the family that they would have to arrange at least Rs 4,000 or he would not carry out the operation.

"The doctor agreed to do the surgery only after he had taken Rs 3,500," said Sumit Sisa, a relative of the victim.

"I conducted an inquiry after I received the complaint and found Nayak guilty of accepting the money. He has returned the amount. I have removed him from duty and attached him to my office," chief medical officer Uday Shankar Mishra told The Telegraph today.

Mishra said he would shortly submit a report to the state government and request it to take disciplinary action against the errant doctor.

"It's the state government which will initiate the action. He has committed a blunder," he said.

Mishra said: "The twins the woman delivered are doing fine and there is nothing to worry about."

Odisha Medical Service Association president Nirakar Bhatt said: "Criminal action should be initiated against the errant doctor. However, the question is why has the chief district medical officer not inspected the hospital premises so far."

The Bondas are a primitive tribe and the state government has over the years been trying to bring the Bondas into the mainstream and set up the Bonda Development Agency in 1977 with this aim.