You could call it a violent run-in at a state-run health post in Mau, but for some it’s a sign of how hard it is to be a civil servant. A doctor was put through it after he put his foot down and wouldn’t be part of the Cockroach Janta Party. The one they are looking for has got away for now, so an inquiry is in order.
The flashpoint inside a health centre
It all came to a head on Friday at the community health centre in Majhwara Mod. Police have it that Rahul Yadav was in for an ECG and then put it to the doctor on duty, Dr Harishchandra Jaiswal, that he should come over to the Cockroach Janta Party side of things.
Jaiswal had to say no; as a government man, he is not allowed to get involved in politics. What was meant to be a simple exchange became a row and from there, violence, according to the authorities.
Allegations of assault and intimidation
Those looking into it say the accused went after the doctor and trashed some of the property in his room. He is also said to have made some veiled threats before he put some distance between himself and the facility.
Word of it has put some of the health staff on edge. They are the ones the public comes to first, and this kind of thing, which was made public on Saturday, does not make for an easy work environment.
Police response and status of investigation
Anoop Kumar, the Additional Superintendent of Police, says a formal complaint is in the system. “We are working on it,” he said of the move to bring in the accused.
Now it is up to the officers at the station to put the pieces together from what happened at the health centre.
This is the way the story goes, per the police:
– It was a Friday in Majhwara Mod when it happened.
– Rahul Yadav was there for an ECG.
– He made his pitch for the party to Dr Jaiswal.
– The doctor turned him down, pointing to the rules.
– From there, the accused is said to have lashed out and made threats.
– We have a complaint on file and are after him.
Why the incident matters for public health staff
It is a reminder of how exposed these workers are. They have to follow the book, but they are also in the thick of it with the public. In this instance, a matter of policy was made into something much more physical and intimidating.
That sort of thing can do a number on morale and get in the way of normal operations. When you have your chamber ransacked in a place where you don’t have much to spare, it is a problem.
Inside the community health centre
According to the police, the trouble started once the clinical side of things was done. After the ECG, the invitation to join the party was extended. The doctor’s no, based on service protocol, was the last straw and an argument followed.
Some of the fixings in the doctor’s room were broken in the process. The man in question was long gone by the time the law showed up.
Identities and claims at the heart of the case
The doctor is Dr Harishchandra Jaiswal of the Mau district centre. The one they are after is Rahul Yadav, who is putting on the hat of a Cockroach Janta Party member, the police say.
In making the party the reason for his approach, the accused has made this a political issue and not just a personal one, is how the police see it.
What comes next
They are still after him. Anoop Kumar has put it on record that they are in the process of an arrest. The complaint is the start of it.
You can expect the focus to be on the beating, the threats and the damage. But for those in charge, it is a question of how to protect their people when a request for support turns into a demand.
