Doctor beaten to death by inmates in Bihar jail

A doctor was beaten to death by some inmates inside Bihar's Gopalganj jail while he was conducting medical check ups on three prisoners, who were convicts in a kidnapping case.

Dr Buddhadev Singh Bhudeo was beaten to death on Sunday afternoon by some prisoners when he was called inside the ward to conduct medical check-ups of three inmates, said the police.

The incident has shocked the medical community in Bihar, which has threatened to launch an agitation and demanded full protection to doctors from the state government.

Ajay K Singh, a close relative of the deceased doctor, told rediff.com over the telephone on Monday that Dr Bhudeo was beaten to death after he refused to help the prisoners get admitted to the hospital on health grounds.

If a doctor working for the state government could be killed inside a jail by its inmates, how can the common man feel safe in Bihar, an upset Ajay sought to know.

"Bihar is not going to change, it has been proved by this shocking incident," he said.

According to reports, Dr Bhudeo died inside Gopalganj jail after the beating. But the district administration, allegedly following orders from the top brass, declared that he had died on his way to Patna after being referred to the Patna Medical College and Hospital.

"The local administration tried to downplay the incident by first shifting him to the Sadar Hospital in Gopalganj. He was then referred to the Patna hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead," Ajay said.

The police have lodged a FIR against seven prisoners. The state government has ordered a probe into the incident.

The Bihar State Health Services Association has threatened to launch an agitation to protest the incident.

"We have called a meeting on Monday evening to decide about the issue," said Ajay Kumar, general secretary of the BSHSA.

The Bihar unit of the Indian Medical Association also condemned the incident and demanded action against the culprits.