Dr Prashant Bhatnagar, who is working here as Associate Professor at the LLRM Medical College, was on Friday night thrashed by the local residents who, according to him, wanted him to vacate his house in view of the threat from the Coronavirus.

“The residents have been harassing my family and adopting different ways to pressurise us to vacate our rented house,” said Dr Bhatnagar adding that on Friday night they attacked him and fractured his arm.

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A makeshift Guard Room was deliberately placed outside his house on Friday where he parks his car, said the Doctor adding that it was done by a group of residents who was mounting pressure on him to vacate the house as he is working in the Community Medicine Department of the Medical College and they had an apprehension of catching Corona from him. When he asked to remove it the residents thrashed him as a result of which Dr Bhatnagar got a fracture in his arm.

The matter was reported to the police but the action is still awaited though an FIR has been registered by Dr Bhatnagar at the Nauchandi Police Station. Vimal Bhatnagar, father of Dr Bhatnagar, however, charged the police of working under the pressure of the residents one of whose son is an IPS officer posted in Madhya Pradesh.

SHO Nauchandi Ashutosh Kumar, however, denied the charges and said that the incident is a fallout of an ongoing dispute of Dr Bhatnagar with some residents on the issue of the Guard Room.

Seeking justice, Dr Bhatnagar has now approached the Indian Medical Association. In his written complaint Dr Bhatnagar has said that he and his parents live in a house of Sector 6 in Shastri Nagar locality for over 7 years and there was no dispute with the residents until 10-12 days back. The residents are now adopting different ways to harass him and his family as he is seen as a Corona spreader now.

A few days back they had locked all the gates of the colony and he had to manage somehow to get inside. On Friday, the same group of residents placed the makeshift kiosk of guard at the spot where he parks his car. When he resisted they attacked him and fractured his arm.

Vimal Bhatnagar told that an Ashoka Tree was cut in the colony because they used to throw its dry leaves in an open area nearby. People were scared that it may spread Corona as his son is a doctor at the Medical College and more prone to infection, he said.

Meanwhile, on the complaint of Dr Bhatnagar, the IMA convened a meeting to discuss the matter. IMA’s secretary for Meerut Chapter Dr Anil Naushran said that on receiving a letter from Dr Bhatnagar the issue was discussed in a meeting on Saturday in which it was decided to extend complete support to him from the IMA.

Meanwhile Dr Bhatnagar’s father has charged the police of trying to hush-up the case. He said that the cops misled him in writing the complaint and directed him to write what they dictated. In spite of his repeated requests they did not include the issue of Corona in the complaint, he said blaming the police of working under the influence of a family whose son is an IPS officer.

SHO Ashutosh Kumar said that he did not receive any call from some IPS whose family lives near to the Doctor’s house though he has heard about him.