Dr. Raveendranath, general secretary of the Doctors Association for Social Equality, has accused Minister Senthil Balaji of interfering in the arrest of a Scheduled Caste(SC) medical officer. He also demanded that the National Human Rights Commission conduct an inquiry into the matter.
According to a statement issued by the general secretary of the Doctors Association for Social Equality, Dr. Raveendranath:
“Non-SC medical officers are increasingly confronting SC medical officers during corona prevention operations in Tamil Nadu and insulting them based on their caste. In one such case, a non-SC young medical officer reportedly insulted an SC medical officer by grabbing his shirt and claiming to be a close relative of Minister Senthil Balaji. It is reprehensible that the SC medical officer was arrested and lodged in Villupuram jail after finding out the problem between the two.”
In this statement, Dr. Raveendranath added that Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji was involved in SC Medical Officer’s detention and that his imprisonment had created an environment of fear and insecurity among SC doctors and medical officers.
He went on to say that Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister should act quickly on this problem, releasing the medical officer imprisoned in Villupuram jail and dismissing the charges levelled against him.
He concluded his statement by demanding the National Human Rights Commission and the Tamil Nadu Health Department to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and punish those responsible.
MK Stalin advised his ministers and MLAs not to meddle in police affairs when he became Chief Minister. However, a public outcry has erupted alleging that Minister Senthil Balaji is meddling in the police department.
(with inputs from Samayam Tamil)
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