Maharashtra: One held for assaulting medico on vax duty in Osmanabad

AURANGABAD: A medico deployed on vaccination duty in the Kalamb tehsil of Osmanabad district was assaulted by a relative of a former MP on Saturday afternoon.
Police have arrested the accused, identified as Balaji Narhire. Taking cognizance of the incident, Kalamb police have registered a case of assault and using criminal force to deter a government official from performing his duty, voluntarily causing hurt, an intentional insult to provoke breach of peace.In addition to this, the accused has also been booked under Disaster Management Act.
Superintendent of police Raj Tilak Roushan told TOI, “We have registered a case for assaulting a medico on vaccination duty and the suspect has been arrested.”
The officer said there were initial reports of medicos planning to go on a strike to protest against the alleged incident, but the decision was finally withdrawn after swift action undertaken by the police.
Abhijit Londhe (41) and his father, both are paediatricians, run a hospital in Punarvasan Savargaon area of Kalamb. After there were objections to the vaccination centre in Osmanabad’s sub-district hospital, the vaccine centre was shut. Then it was started in Londhe’s hospital.
Abhijit Londhe told TOI, “We have been running this vaccination centre for over three months and all the people from the locality have been supporting the vaccination drive, except for this one family. Earlier too, they raised objections to visitors parking their vehicles in the colony.”
The medico, in his complaint, said on Saturday, some people, who had come to get the vaccine, had parked their vehicles in the colony. Following this, the suspect stepped out of his house and started abusing. On learning about it, the medico came out of the hospital, only to be assaulted by him.