SMHS uproar : ‘An assault on one journalist is an attack on entire fraternity’

Srinagar, July 24: Following the assault on a group of journalists at SMHS Hospital Srinagar on Wednesday, Press Club of Kashmir on Thursday condemned the incident and demanded strict action against the doctors involved.Speaking with reporters in Srinagar, M. Saleem Pandit, President of Press Club of Kashmir, said that the incident at SMHS Hospital—where a group of journalists were assaulted and heckled on Wednesday- was an attack on the entire journalistic fraternity.“We condemn the assault in the strongest possible terms. There should be an inquiry into whether the attackers were acting independently or were instigated by someone. It was an attack on the journalists’ dignity,” he said.Pandit said that the Principal of Government Medical College Srinagar should investigate why such an incident occurred at SMHS Hospital involving the doctors.“Had there been no police personnel or patient attendants present, the situation could have escalated into more assaults and violence, possibly even causing serious injuries,” he said.Pandit urged people from all walks of life to cooperate with journalists who work on the ground to bring the truth to the public.“The doctors who assaulted the journalists should face the same punishment or penalty that was given to the attendant who attacked a doctor,” he added.Furthermore, Pandit said if the principal GMC Srinagar fails to address the situation and ease tensions between the PG and the media, the Press Club Kashmir would escalate the matter to higher authorities to seek appropriate actions against the junior doctors involved.On July 23, journalists were assaulted by resident doctors who were protesting against an assault on their colleague in SMHS Hospital. The medicos were not only assaulted by medicos but also obstructed from carrying out their reporting duties.The journalists have already filed a written complaint at the nearby Karan Nagar Police Station, demanding strict action against the doctors involved in the incident.Meanwhile, following Wednesday’s protest by Junior Doctors after the assault of their colleague at SMHS, the Administrator of Govt. Medical College (GMC) Srinagar and associated hospitals, Mohammad Ashraf Hakak today stated that there was “no service break down” after the strike of doctors.“All the patients were well attended by senior doctors. Some people have circulated false narratives of one patient. Everything went normally,” he said.Hakak said that the medical college has condemned what he called the “brutal assault on our colleague in the emergency Department of SMHS Hospital and we have lodged an FIR.”The Administrator also stated that there was no strike by the junior doctors and the doctors were working normally in the hospital’s emergency department and other areas. “A hospital has its own protocol. There are faculty members, professors and assistant professors, senior and junior resident doctors and other unit doctors of different departments and that is how the tertiary care hospital runs,” he said.