Police refuse FIR against minister; Jammu doctor to move court

A doctor who tried to file an FIR for harassment against Jammu and Kashmir Health Minister Lal Singh said on Friday that she would wait for a day after which she would seek the court's help to get the police complaint registered.

Gurmeet Kaur, registrar at the psychiatric hospital in Jammu told IANS on Friday: "The minister harassed me in public on March 9. I approached the Bakshi Nagar police station with a written complaint seeking an FIR to be registered against the minister.

"The police avoided me for four days saying they had sent the complaint for legal examination to ascertain whether or not the complaint merited the lodging of an FIR.

"They have not registered the FIR till now. I will wait for another day and then approach the court for directions to the police for the lodging of the FIR."

Gurmeet Kaur said she had been mentally shattered by the treatment and abusive language used by the minister.

"I and my family haven't been able to even eat food properly for the last four days. My friends and well wishers have told me to be careful because they fear the minister might harm me personally.

"What sort of a government is this? The chief minister has not spoken a word about it since the incident occurred. In a television debate, the BJP spokesman said he was sorry for the minister's behaviour, but I am asking, is just saying sorry by the BJP spokesman enough to restore my shattered conscience?"

On March 9, the health minister presided over a function to inaugurate the new building of the Jammu psychiatric hospital when he asked Gurmeet Kaur why she had not worn an apron.

Kaur told the minister that -- according to an international protocol for psychiatric hospitals -- doctors at psychiatric hospitals are not supposed to wear aprons even when examining patients inside a ward.

Angered by the reply, the minister had asked the doctor to immediately leave the function and also tie her hair which he said had not been properly dressed.

Kaur said under orders from the minister, the principal of the medical college had sought an explanation from her for not wearing an apron during the social function at the hospital. - IANS