Nagpur: Sonegaon police have registered an FIR against four relatives of a 66-year-old patient, Ram Vishal Singh, following a complaint by a resident doctor at AIIMS Nagpur. The doctor alleged that the relatives verbally abused and assaulted him inside the ICU after Singh’s death on Tuesday morning.The case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for causing hurt, criminal intimidation and intentional insult. The FIR also invokes sections of the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, under which violence against healthcare personnel or medical institutions can attract up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹50,000. Offences under the Act are cognisable and non-bailable.Police said no arrests have been made so far as the family is mourning the loss. Action will be initiated after the funeral and related rituals are completed. The accused, all residents of Kamptee, include the deceased’s sons.According to police, the incident occurred around 9am on Tuesday inside the ICU, in the presence of three senior medicine faculty members and security personnel. A group of four to five agitated relatives allegedly entered the ICU, grabbed the resident doctor’s collar and punched him repeatedly on the back. Hospital sources claimed the group was about to slam the doctor’s head against a concrete slab before security guards intervened and rescued him.Investigators said Singh was admitted to the emergency ward of AIIMS on Sept 19 in a critical condition. By Tuesday morning, he had developed multiple complications. Hospital sources said Singh was diabetic, had a history of paralysis on one side of the body and had recently undergone surgery for a leg fracture. He was brought to the hospital with complaints of blood in the stool.“An endoscopy was planned, but his condition continued to deteriorate. Endotracheal intubation was advised, but the relatives delayed giving consent. They were insisting on an MRI, which was not advisable considering his critical condition,” a hospital source said.On Wednesday, Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) threatened to go on strike if an FIR was not registered. Following this, the AIIMS administration took the resident doctor to Sonegaon police station to lodge an institutional complaint. However, police informed hospital officials that the FIR could only be registered in the name of the affected individual.The RDA held discussions with the administration late into Wednesday night and submitted a list of demands. Meanwhile, the AIIMS administration strengthened security arrangements and granted permission for the filing of the FIR.In a statement, AIIMS Nagpur said: “The administration strongly condemns the unfortunate incident of violence against a resident doctor. We have zero tolerance for violence against doctors. An FIR has been registered in the matter. The administration and faculty members stand in solidarity with the resident doctors.”
