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The doctor was beaten by police with his hands tied behind his back<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
BBC<\/p>\n
An Indian doctor who was suspended after raising concerns about a shortage of masks is again in the spotlight after officials committed him to a mental hospital. BBC Telugu’s V Shankar reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr Sudhakar Rao, an anaesthetist with 20 years of experience, made national headlines over the weekend for the second time in two months.<\/p>\n A series of videos that went viral show him and police facing off on a highway in the southern city of Visakhapatnam, where Dr Rao lives and works. Authorities say he was sent to a mental hospital after.<\/p>\n The news follows reports of Indian doctors facing a backlash after speaking out about shortages of protective gear or lack of preparation in hospitals.<\/p>\n The videos, which have been shared widely on social media and WhatsApp, show a confusing chain of events from Saturday.<\/p>\n Dr Rao is first seen shirtless, sitting inside his car by the side of the road, and screaming at police.<\/p>\n In another video, he is lying on the road with his hands tied behind his back as a constable hits him with a baton. Police said the constable has been suspended, pending an inquiry.<\/p>\n In what is likely to be the last video, officers bundle the doctor into an auto rickshaw in front of bewildered onlookers.<\/p>\n But before he was taken away, Dr Rao spoke to local journalists, who had gathered by then to find out what was going on.<\/p>\n He said he had been stopped and forced out of the car by the policemen. “They snatched my phone and wallet. They hit me,” he alleged.<\/p>\n His detention has sparked huge controversy. Social media users and others criticised the state government’s handling of the situation. Opposition parties have weighed in, accusing the police of excessive force.<\/p>\n Dr Rao’s case is especially contentious because he was already under suspension.<\/p>\n On 3 April, Dr Rao, who works at a government hospital, told media that doctors weren’t being given adequate protective gowns and masks.<\/p>\n He said he had just been asked to leave a meeting with officials where he had raised these concerns.<\/p>\n “We are told to use the same mask for 15 days before asking for a fresh mask. How can we treat patients risking our lives?” he asked local television reporters in a clip that soon went viral.<\/p>\n The government ordered an inquiry, but also suspended Dr Rao. By going public instead of filing a formal complaint, officials said, he had damaged the morale of other health care workers.<\/p>\n Days later, Dr Rao released a video in which he apologised and asked for his suspension to be cancelled. The government did not respond.<\/p>\n Dr Rao and his family allege that he has been harassed ever since speaking out about the lack of protective equipment in hospitals treating Covid-19 patients.<\/p>\n “People are threatening me over the phone for the past few days,” Dr Rao said on Saturday.<\/p>\n His mother, Kaveri Rao, told BBC Telugu he had no mental health issues.<\/p>\n “He is a reputed doctor,” she said. “But he has been facing abuse since the day he raised those concerns. I feel bad when people call me and ask about him. He has been very stressed for weeks.”<\/p>\n Police say they responded to a report of a drunken man behaving erratically on the highway. Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner RK Meena told BBC Telugu that officers didn’t know it was Dr Rao until they arrived at the scene.<\/p>\n Police say he tried to remove a barricade on the road and flung a liquor bottle onto the street. They also alleged that it was passers-by who restrained him by tying up his hands with rope before the police got there.<\/p>\n They registered a case accusing the doctor of obstructing police and causing damage.<\/p>\n However the identity of the complainant has not been released, and no eyewitness has so far backed the official account. The only video of Dr Rao being restrained shows a policeman tying his hands with help of a civilian.<\/p>\n “He behaved rudely with the police. He snatched the mobile phone from a constable and threw it away,” Mr Meena told reporters. “He is apparently suffering from psychological problems.”<\/p>\n He added that Dr Rao had first been taken to a police station, and later admitted to a hospital for a basic examination. Doctors there advised that he should be moved to a mental institution.<\/p>\n Dr Radha Rani, the hospital superintendent, told BBC Telugu that Dr Rao seemed stable, but would be under observation for two weeks so they can “ascertain his condition completely”.<\/p>\nWhat happened to Dr Rao?<\/h2>\n
Why was he suspended?<\/h2>\n
What does he say?<\/h2>\n
What is the official account?<\/h2>\n