After the screenshots of Islamophobic chats of healthcare staff of a private hospital in Rajasthan’s Churu district were leaked on social media, an inquiry has been initiated by the police.
In the chats, the staff was strategizing about not attending Muslim patients affected by COVID-19. Dr. Sunil Choudhary, who runs the Srichand Baradiya Rog Nidan Kendra in Sardarshahar and whose staff purportedly wrote the messages, apologised through a Facebook post, saying the hospital staff did not have any intention to hurt any religious groups.
“Kal se me muslim ptnt ka x-ray ni krunga. Yah meri sapat hai (I promise that from tomorrow onwards, I won’t do X-rays for Muslim patients),” wrote one of the staff members. Another added, “Agar Hindu positive hote n, Muslim dr hota to hinduo ko kbhi ni dekhte. Me ni dekhungi Muslim opd. Bol dena madam h he ni yaha (If Hindus were COVID-19 positive and there had been a Muslim doctor, then Hindus would have never been attended to. I will not attend to Muslims in the OPD. Tell them madam is not here).”
“We have received a complaint following which we are taking action to register FIR in the matter,” Churu Superintendent of Police Tejaswini Gautam told a newswire, PTI.
Mahendra Dutt Sharma, station house officer at the Sardarshahar police station in Churu, told The Wire, “An FIR has been filed under Section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, and acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 505 (public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Disaster Management Act, based on the complaint reported at the police control room.”