Una Dalit flogging: Ahmedabad hospital discharges four victims, but they refuse to leave

“In the morning, hospital authorities told us that the four patients were being discharged… we objected to it as they are yet to recover and need further treatment. After repeated requests from us and activists who gathered outside the trauma centre, the hospital authorities allowed us to stay and withdrew the discharge orders,” said Kevalsinh Rathod, a relative of the victims attending them since their arrival at the hospital on July 27.

Contrary to the claims of withdrawal of the discharge orders, hospital superintendent Dr M M Prabhakar said, “They have been discharged, but they are not leaving the hospital.”

Additional medical superintendent Dr M D Gajjar, who supervised the treatment of the four Dalits, too said: “They are fit now and do not need treatment… The patients are not complaining, but the attendants with them are making it an issue. The hospital cannot be inhuman to throw them out, so we are trying to persuade and convince them to leave.” He said the hospital authorities would talk to relatives of the patients and Dalit activists to resolve the matter in a day or two.

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Ruling out the possibility of shifting them to the general ward, Dr Gajjar said, “Neither they are willing to be shifted to the general ward nor leaving the trauma centre. The hospital is helpless to act in such a situation.”

Earlier, there was heated argument between hospital staffers and Dalit activists, who gathered outside the trauma centre as soon as the news of the four being discharged spread.

Vashram Sarvaiya (26), his brother Ramesh (23), cousin Ashok (20) and relative Bechar (30) were brought to the Ahmedabad hospital, a day after they were discharged from PDU General Hospital in Rajkot on July 26. In Ahmedabad, they were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and sleep disorder.