Observer Special Edition

Tuesday March 04, 2014

VOL. 13 ISSUE 27

Special edition: exclusive report exposes police brutality claims in Uttar Pradesh

‘Break their backs!’

Sachin, a student doctor who was badly beaten up by the police The Observer Team

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A student beaten by the police near GSVM Medical College, Swaroopnagar Rd

student doctors arrested and beaten up released from police custody.

rmed police opened fire and attacked unarmed students in a night-time raid at a medical college in Uttar Pradesh, according to students and their teachers.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has called for striking doctors to return to work. Mainstream media houses have reported the doctors are putting the lives of patients at risk.

Dozens of students of Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Medical (GSVM) College, Kanpur, were brutally beaten by armed police on Friday, after they got into a fight with Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), Haji Irfan Solanki and his armed bodyguards.

But an Observer investigation has uncovered evidence not covered by the mainstream press in India which supports student claims that police and bodyguards of the “notorious” MLA opened fire on unarmed students, tossed at least one student off the third floor balcony of a college hostel and beat a 14-year-old boy so badly his entire back is streaked in lathi-strike bruises.

The incident has led to a series of strikes by medical staff across India and a huge social media campaign to have some 24

Hundreds of students and teachers hid in nearby fields as armed men and police trashed the boys hostel of the medical college – beating up anyone they found. Students were savagely beaten. One student, who was thrashed brutally, has now been diagnosed paraplegic after his spine shattered on impact.

It has also emerged that the MLA at the centre of the melee lied about the extent of his injuries and has been mired in controversy for over a decade.

According to Dr. Alka Sharma, President of the Indian Medical Association in Kanpur, 24 students were arrested.

According to the version of events pro-

vided by MLA Solanki, the clash broke out after he attempted to intervene on behalf of an elderly man who he says was being assaulted by students of the college at a petrol bunk on Friday night, at around 7 p.m.

“I came out of the hospital after taking the medicine and was sitting inside the car when I saw two students beating an old man,” he said, adding that the students were all education migrants studying at GSVM. Solanki also alleged that one of the students present at the scene came forward and snatched the gun away from one of his armed bodyguards. He then asked his other gunman to intervene and retrieve

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The degree of brutality shown by the police was shameful.

Students who were preparing for their final exams were thrown from balconies and beaten up. Even teachers were not spared.

— Dr. Alka Sharma, President, IMA, Kanpur Branch Dr. Sachin Singh,the intern who suffered from severe pelvic injuries after being beaten by the police

the gun, which resulted in a confrontation with the students.

According to Dr. Amreesh Gupta, a professor at GSVM College, however, the fight occurred due to wholly different reasons.

“The MLA’s car was coming from the wrong side of the road. The students were coming from the other side and they went to the petrol pump. The driver opened the door and it hit the bike. The driver had a scuffle with the medical students. The gunner hit one of the students hard on the head and he started bleeding profusely,” said Dr. Gupta.

Dr. Gupta added that the students then tried to catch Solanki, who escaped and ran to the nearest police station. Once there, he instructed the police to lathicharge the students. “I was also dragged to the hospital along with the other students and beaten up,” Dr Gupta said.

Mayank Singhal, a student of GSVM College and a witness to the incident, confirmed Dr. Gupta’s statement.

Speaking about the incident, he said: “As soon as we heard that our friends were in trouble, the rest of us reached the spot and witnessed something more shocking.

After the gunman shot at a few of our colleagues, all the others barged in to attack the MLA and his goons. Things turned worse and the police arrived.”

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Dr. R.K. Thakur, a senior teacher from GSVM, who was also thrashed by police forces and is now undergoing treatment, said, “Many students jumped from the terrace out of fear to escape the situation.”

Denouncing the conduct of the police forces, Professor R.P. Sharma, Head of the Department (HOD) of Community Medicine, said: “The degree of brutality shown by the police was shameful. Students who were preparing for their final exams were thrown from balconies and beaten up. Even teachers were not spared as the Head of the Community Medicine Department was arrested and beaten up.”

She added that several students had sustained extremely severe injuries. “One of the boys who was beaten up is now lying in hospital with a fractured spine. The police did not even spare the 14-year-old brother of another student. Even he was beaten,” she said.

The fourteen-year-old in question is Miraj, the brother of Mohammad Ejaj, a final-year student in the college. Miraj was picked up by the police from one of the hostel rooms, brutally thrashed, kept in police custody and only released the next day after he said that he was not feeling well. Photographs taken after his release show heavy bruising on his back.

He declined to comment on his treatment at the hands of police when contacted by our reporters.

The boy who suffered severe spinal injuries can now been identified as Sachin, an intern at GSVM. According to Singhal, Sachin has suffered “pelvic girdle damage” and has now been diagnosed with paraplegia. This has been confirmed by Dr. Alka Sharma of the IMA. Footage taken of the incident clearly shows lathi-wielding riot police forces repeatedly beating unarmed students while they attempted to escape the attack.

The clip also shows a senior officer speaking through a loudspeaker and instructing his armed troops to return to the hostel and ‘break the backs’ of the errant students.

An MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) student from GSVM, who asked for anonymity citing personal safety concerns, said: “I haven’t worn my doctor’s coat since February 28. My mother cried on the phone and asked me to come back home. But if we leave then this issue will not be solved.”

He added: “I haven’t stepped outside the hostel for four days out of fear of being hit

by Solanki’s men. Girls were not harmed because their hostel was far away from ours. We were helpless as the police and the goons were firing at us. All we were thinking was to save ourselves.”

Solanki, who was admitted to Ursala Horsman Memorial Men’s Hospital after

the incident, said that he needed stitches for the injuries sustained in the clash.

However, his medical reports revealed that Solanki was treated for a few bruises and abrasions. Solanki declined to comment on this.

Commenting on Solanki’s statement, the unnamed MBBS student said: “If Solanki had stitches on his leg and required it to be plastered, how is it possible for the wound to heal in two days? We are doctors, not idiots. We know how long it takes for six stitches to heal. He can’t fool us.”

Professor Sharma, Head of the community medicine department, added: “Whatever has happened is very unfortunate.

The police never took the permission of anybody before entering the campus. If the teachers wouldn’t have intervened then hundreds of them (students) would have been injured.”

Singhal, speaking exclusively to the Observer team, alleged that Solanki and the police have now started threatening the jailed students to accept bail - something that they have been refusing to do, as a form of protest.

According to him, the students in custody are allegedly being tortured and their parents are being threatened by police forces and Solanki’s supporters. The students are suffering from serious leg and arm fractures but have been denied medi-

We held a candlelight march. We did this to pray for people who have died because they did not get any help from doctors as they were on strike.

— Chandresh Singh, President, Samajwadi Party, Kanpur

Kanpur Police gearing up before entering the boys hostel of GSVM Medical College

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There was a bail issued from the administration. It does not have the signatures of our principal, senior faculty members or guardians. The 24 students have refused to sign the bail papers.

—Dr. Dhinesh, student doctor , GSVM A car that was vandalized during the police attack on Friday night at GSVM cal care, according to staff members.

Dr. Dhinesh, one of the protesters in Kanpur, said: “There was a bail issued from the administration. It does not have the signatures of our principal, senior faculty members or guardians. The 24 students have refused to sign the bail papers.

They are going to protest from there.”

In the footage that was provided to the Observer team, Sachin Gupta, a student of GSVM, has alleged that conditions inside the jail, where the students have been kept, are pathetic.

The video shows anxious students waiting to meet their imprisoned colleagues, many of whom were seriously injured in the clash.

Among the students of GSVM who were injured, were Ram Kumar Varma, who sustained a fractured finger, Arun Kumar whose shoulder was fractured and Alok Varma, who is nursing a fractured leg.

According to Gupta, it is doubtful whether these students are receiving adequate medical treatment for their injuries.

“We wanted to give them clothes, food,

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books and medicines. We have brought strips of medicine for Pankaj Maurya who is unwell. But we have not been allowed to meet them or give them any of these things,” he added.

In a new turn of events, Singhal added that the Saifai Medical College, Etawah, which had been supporting the student protests, has now restarted its emergency services for critical patients. This was after the college had shut down all its operations to support the students of GSVM. A student of the college, who did not wish to be named, said: “Our Out-Patient Department (OPD) and emergency services have been closed since Friday. We did, however, attend to patients who were in critical condition by getting them in through the back door. We faced an attack (by relatives of patients) on Saturday and the police protected us then. We were asked to open the OPD on Sunday.”

He added: “When we refused to open the OPD on Sunday, the police refused to give us any more protection. We also got threats that if we do not attend to patients we will have to face more attacks. Presently, everything is shut and we are at GSVM

The police never took the permission of anybody before entering the campus. If the teachers wouldn’t have intervened then hundreds of them would have been injured.

—Dr. R.P Sharma, HOD of Community Medicine, GSVM Medical College

College to participate in the protest.”

Statements by police forces in Uttar Pradesh have largely criticized the student community for protesting the incident and placing innocent lives at risk. At last 300 doctors have resigned over the attacks and doctors across the state and the country are refusing to work until UP police release the students.

Chandresh Singh, President, Samajwadi Party, Kanpur, spoke to reporters about the loss of life that had occurred due to the shutdown in medical services following the incident.

“We held a candle-light march today. We did this to pray for people who have died because they did not get any help from doctors as they were on strike”, he said.

The town’s most senior police officer, R.K. Chauturvedi, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Kanpur, said, “The lathicharge was our mistake. But I do not understand why they are punishing people by going on a strike.”

He added that the administration had made arrangements to handle the crisis in medical services by deploying provisional

and government doctors in order to ensure ready availability of medical facilities.

“We are making all possible efforts to bring the situation under control,” said Chaturvedi.

Chaturvedi confirmed that a case had been registered against the students who were involved in the incident. No charges had been registered against Solanki. “The court has to take a decision on the issue. It is not in the hands of the police anymore,” he added.

Speaking about when arrested students would be released, Chaturvedi said, “The students who were arrested are in judicial custody and will be left only after the court decides. We are trying to negotiate with the agitating doctors. Senior officers are in talks with the student representatives. The police are at fault but why are the doctors making the patients suffer?

We can investigate the matter and find out where the fault lies. I think it is wrong on the part of the doctors to place patient lives at risk.”

Despite his senior officer saying that the lathi-charge was a mistake, Senior Super-

Dr. R.P.Sharma, Head of the Department of Community Medicine of GSVM Medical College

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Timeline of events in the student doctors—MLA—police officials clash in Kanpur: 7:00 PM

Road accident near the GSMV college involving the car of Samajwadi Party MLA Irfan Solanki and two students from the college.

7:30 PM

Case against students registered at Swaroopnagar Police Station.

8:00 Pm

Electricity cut off from the college hostel.

8:30 Pm

Police forces block all four gates of the college.

Post Graduate students brutally beaten-up.

10:00 PM

1:00 Am— 2:00 AM

Professor questions intruders entering the hostel building and attacking students.

15-20 cars positioned outside the boy’s hostel.

Solanki’s men enter the hostel and start damaging hostel property.

They attack students brutally and allegedly throw some of them off the balcony.

intendent of Police (SSP), Yashasvi Yadav, who was present on the night of the attacks directing officers on the ground, said that the only way to manage the situation at the time of the incident was to lathi-charge the students.

“The police department has absolutely no remorse in the action that was taken against the students,” he said, when contacted by the Observer.

He added: “We had to somehow control the situation, so we sent around 500 officers at the spot. These students have start-

ed violence in the society and they needed to be hushed.”

Dr. A.K. Gupta, Head of Department, Orthopaedics, said: “The MLA and SSP Yashashvi Yadav are in this together which is why we are having a tough time tackling this. We are not going to resume operations or step down on our demands until there is action taken” According to Dr. Vinod Kumar, a student representative at King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Health Minister, Ahmed Hasan had promised to address the issue but had failed to take any action yet as the day after the protest was a holiday.

D. S . Sh ar m a , Secretary, Medical Health and Family Welfare, Uttar Pradesh, said “As far as I know what has been reported is what has happened. The investigation is still on and I can’t comment any further.”

Miraj, the 14-year-old boy who was beaten up

In a letter that has been addressed to the Chief Justice of India, students of GSVM have expressed their

intention to carry out a prolonged nationwide protest until such time as their demands are met.

In the letter, students have appealed to the Chief Minister of the state to stop the torture and imprisonment of medical students in the name of justice, while hardened criminals walk free in the state.

It further states that most of the students who were brutally attacked and imprisoned come from ‘extremely humble backgrounds and have joined the medical profession through their sheer hard work and perseverance.’

Since the incident occurred four days ago, there have been numerous protests in the medical community in Delhi.

Dr. Anand Kumar, CMS, Dr. Murari Lal Chest Hospital,which is associated with GSVM said: “250 doctors from Sarojini Naidu Medical College, Agra, have resigned.”

The doctors and interns have demanded that all of the allegations against the students should be withdrawn.

According to a statement made by the online forum of GSVM, ‘Medicos Against Injustice’, resident doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), have extended support to the students of GSVM by declaring that the institute would observe ‘Black Bandage Day’ on Tuesday.

Other medical institutes in Delhi such as the Maulana Azad Medical College, the University College of Medical Sciences, the Lady Hardinge Medical College, and the Vardhman Mahavir Medical College have also reportedly extended their support to the protest campaign.

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I came out of the hospital after taking the medicine and was sitting inside the car when I saw two students beating an old man.

—Irfan Solanki, MLA Samajwadi Party, Kanpur

Observer Team: Anagha Sawant, Anand Jain, Anannya Sarkar, Apurva Venkat, Aurosmita Acharya, Bhaskar Dutta, Bhavika Bhuwalka, Chitharth Mathivanan, Gaurav Kumar, Ishan Bhattacharya, Karishma Ravindran, Mayuri J. Ravi, Neha Singh, Nibedita Mohanta, Nikita Narvekar, Pranay Lakshminarasimhan, Prutha Subhash Bhosle, Rahul Sadhu, Raju Peethala, Saikat Ghosh, Shivpriya Jodha, Shweta Nair, Sneha Bengani, Sneha Ghosh, Sneha Mejari, Soumya Basu, Sreelakshmy Sivaram, Suchitra Sharma, Sureshkumar Kumaresan, Sushmita Sen, Tanisha Das, Tulana Nayak, Vaishnavi J. Desai. Email- editor@iijnm.org An IIJNM Publication (For Private Circulation)