Cops play doctor, forces man to return home without treatment

TNN | Apr 8, 2020, 04:50 IST

Thiruvananthapuram: A 29-year-old man, who was going to a hospital on Monday night following a food induced skin allergy had a harrowing time when he faced police high-handedness on the way after which he had to return home without getting any treatment.
R Sarathchandran, a central government employee, alleged that the policemen on road decided to do the doctor’s job and ruled that he was perfectly fine. Following this, he had to return home and spend a sleepless night owing to intolerable itching due to the allergy. Even the doctors have condemned the act of the police and demanded action against those involved.
According to his social media post, that went viral on Tuesday, he fell ill on Monday evening. Blisters appeared all over his body along with strong itching feel. Sarathchandran, a resident of Navaikkulam near Kallambalam, suspected that it could have been an after effect of having a dish made of fish that could have been stale.
By night, the itching sensation became unbearable following which he summoned his friend who lives nearby and proceeded to Kollam Government Medical College at Parippally.
But their car was stopped by policemen on duty at Kadambattukonam on the national highway. They were accompanied by health officials too. Sarathchandran, who works as a sorting assistant at the Railway Mail Service office under the India Post at Thampanoor, showed them the self-declaration form.
A sub-inspector in the team, who questioned Sharathchandran, neither examined the form nor allowed him to step out of the car to show his allergy and explain the situation.
“As I did not have the energy to argue with them, we decided to return home,” Sarathchandran told TOI over phone.
On Tuesday morning, he took treatment from a private hospital in the city on his way to work. He also filed his complaint before state police chief and Kollam city police commissioner via email.
Commissioner T Narayanan said he has assigned Chathannoor assistant commissioner to conduct and inquiry and identify the officers involved.