All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party was in news on more than one occasion over the past two weeks, not for good reasons. Media reports say that on 2nd December 2007, the resident doctors at Nilofer hospital, Hyderabad were roughed up by the MIM activists led by its MLA Afsar Khan alleging that they were negligent in providing treatment to a child . (The same Khan was also one of the accused in the attack against Taslima Nasrin.) He was arrested on charges of assaulting the doctors but was released on bail the same day. Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors Association (APJDA) went on a strike demanding the government for booking attemptive murder case against Khan . The government bluntly rejected the demand and so the strike continued for 11 days. The Junior Doctors called off their strike on 12th Dec only after the AP High court threatened penal action against them . However, on a petition by a doctor, a lower court on Dec 6 directed the police to book the legislator and on charges of attemptive murder.
Just a day after the Junior Doctors resumed their duties , another incident happened at Nayapul Maternity Hospital on 14th December. Media reported that the relatives of an under trial women prisoner Zakira attacked the doctors physically and ransacked the hospital the hospital after she died while undergoing treatment . It was reported that Majlis MLA Abdul Pasha Khadri was present on the spot. In a video footage, a women relative of the deceased was shown relentlessly assaulting a resident doctor Kamakshi. Hospital RMO Dr.Hymavathi was also reported to have sustained head injuries. This prompted the Junior doctors to go on mass leave evacuating the hostels. The Government Doctors’ Association (GDA), Indian Medical Association (IMA) and AP Private Nursing-Homes Association (APPNA) expressed solidarity with them.
After all this series of drama, AP government agreed to bring an ordinance to protect the lives of health staff at hospitals, both government and private. This ordinance will make the assault against the health staff a non-coginable and non-bailable offence. It is very disheartening to note that YSR’s government is not yet ready to undertake serious action against the accused MIM MLAs .
Moreover, Majlis MP Asaduddin Owaisi justified the vicious behaviour of his party MLAs terming it as a way of protesting peacefully for the sake of the poor. He also warned that if the poor would not receive proper treatment, Majlis was not going to not stay quiet. Security from Special Protection Force or even Grey Hounds is never going to stop them.
Everybody knows that a person is brought to a government hospital in a very critical condition. There will be some cases in which the situation goes out of the hand and doctors will not be in a position to save the life. Of course, we can not rule out the possibility of any negligence. (But doctors and drivers should never be negligent as their mistakes cost lives ).And also lack of facilities and manpower in government hospitals are deep rooted problems to be addressed by the state. Some solution can be shown to all these issues if the state shows good level of commitment. But is there going to be any way to deal with the atrocities committed by Majlis?
Thanks to the filthy vote bank politics played by Congress, junior doctors received only step-motherly treatment through out the issue. It’s naked truth that Majlis,a constituent of Congress-led UPA at Centre, plays with the sentiments of people belonging to a particular community and no wonder the Congress will never dare to interfere.
Except BJP and Loksatta, no political party came in support of APJDA . BJP is an an archrival of MIM and obviously condemned the attacks. Being a doctor himself and committed to the true democratic values , Loksatta’s founder leader Jayaprakash Narayan spoke his heart out. What happened to the other parties and so called intelligentsia? What is the ex- hitech CM Chandrababu doing? Did the messiah of Telangana , KCR turn blind? Did the Communists go into exile? Where are the Human rights activists ? Were Balagopals, Kannabhirans lost somewhere? Why are they not coming forward in solidarity to the doctors? After all, doctors are also human beings. Aren't they? BJP's approach has also been quite opportunistic. If only Shobrabuddins and Asom tribals are visible to the Communists, who will stand against this injustice ? Did their senses stop responding to the anguish of junior doctors?
Referring to Taslima Narin's issue, Union minister Pranab Mukerjee once suggested that "a guest like Taslima Nasrin" should not play with the sentiments of people. Now, is it not the right time for the Congress governments, both at the Centre and state, to rein in our "own" Majlis? Being a democratic party, how can Majlis arouse the emotions of people and create social unrest ? Communists and other politicians like Sonia, Lalu, Mulayam, Karunanidhi ,YSR and Chandrababu Naidu should better understand something. Just for the sake of opposing the Hindu fundamentalists or parties like BJP/ Shiv Sena, they should not back the fundamentalists from the other religions. This attitude is going to kill the democratic, liberal and secular spirit of India.
The brutal attacks on the doctors by Majlis should be unequivocally condemned by the public and people across the political spectrum. Doctors are our national pride .There's a Sanskrit saying "VAIDYO NARAYANO HARIHI" which means that doctor is His incarnation. If we can not protect their lives, the very existence of our penal code and constitution will be at stake. Moreover, if the political parties are not going to end gamble of vote bank politics, anti-social elements and religious fanatics, will no doubt, push the country into the darkness to bring the stone age back. If our politicians are not in a position to raise their voice against the fundamentalism and barbarism , in any form , they better quit the politics.
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