Aizawl: Over 800 doctors associated with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in Mizoram on Saturday staged a protest condemning the alleged assault on a doctor by Chief Minister Zoramthanga’s daughter recently.
Members of the association wore black badges in their clinics and workplaces throughout the day in protest against the assault on the doctor, an association leader said.
She alleged that the doctor had been assaulted by the Chief Minister’s daughter, who went to the doctor’s clinic for consultation when the former asked her to make a prior appointment like others.
The Chief Minister’s daughter went to the doctor without a prior appointment, she said.
Earlier on Friday, the IMA Mizoram state branch in a statement vehemently condemned the alleged assault on an Aizawl-based dermatologist Dr Zonuna by Milari Chhangte, who is the only daughter of Zoramthanga.
“We want that such acts of violence against medical practitioners should never be repeated,” the association had said in the statement.
The IMA had also urged the state government to enact the Mizoram Protection of Medical Service Personnel and Medical Service Institution (Prevention of Violence and Damage of Loss of Property Act, drafted and submitted to the government by the association.
The incident occurred at Dr Zonuna’s private clinic on Wednesday when Chhangte went to the clinic and allegedly tried to directly approach the doctor.
Sources said that Chhangte was irritated when the doctor asked her to make prior appointments like other patients.
In the CCTV footage that went viral, Chhangte, who is a teacher in a reputed college, was seen hitting the doctor with her bare hands. In another video clip, the woman was seen yelling at the doctor from outside the door until her security guard finally led her away.
Meanwhile, Zoramthanga on Saturday tendered a public apology on his official Instagram handle over her daughter’s misbehaviour.”We have nothing to justify or defend ourselves on the unbecoming behaviour of our daughter against the doctor. We tender an abject apology to the doctor and the public,” the chief minister said.
He said that he went to the doctor three times to apologise for his daughter’s actions.
The chief minister also thanked the IMA for not taking a stringent step against them and vowed that such an act would not happen in the future.
Earlier, Chhangte’s elder brother Ramthansiama had also tendered a public apology on social media saying her sister went out of control due to mental stress caused by the wounds on her forehead.
Also Read | Mizoram logs 130 fresh COVID-19 cases