TAMIL NADU

One held for assaulting medical officer

Race Course Police have arrested a lodge owner and are on the lookout for two 'journalists' on charges of assaulting the Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital on Tuesday.

The police said that following a dispute in claiming the body of a man from Karamdai, the lodge owner, G. Venkatesh of Gandhipuram in the city and 'journalists' Prabhakaran and Gilmor abused RMO A. Soundaravel, threatened him with dire consequences and broke his mobile phone.

The RMO immediately informed the police, who managed to nab Venkatesh. But, Prabhakaran and Gilmor fled the hospital, the police said.

The three along with a few people went to the hospital to claim the body of a man they claimed was Krishnasamy of Karamadai. The identity card they produced was that of Krishnasamy. But the man whose body remained unclaimed in the hospital mortuary was that of a Kittusamy, who was admitted on May 11 and died despite treatment on May 15.

When the identification papers did not match, Dr. Soundaravel, suggested that they get a letter from the village administrative officer concerned so that he could handover the body.

Rejecting the suggestion, the three picked up a fight with the RMO, assaulted him and snatched the phone from him and broke it, the police said. Cases were registered against them under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Tamil Nadu Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2008.