Deoli Congress MLA Ranjit Kamble has been booked for abusing District Health Officer Dr. Ajay Dhawale (Davle). Kamble had insulted and threatened to thrash the health officer over a Covid check-up camp organized in the Deoli constituency, Wardha district, Maharashtra. He was apparently upset on why such camps to test for Covid were being organised during lockdown without informing him. The audio clip of their conversation has gone viral.
After Dr. Dhawale lodged a complaint, police had initially claimed it was a ‘non-cognizable’ complaint and they would seek legal opinion before taking action. Finally, a case was registered on Monday night under Section 4 of the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2010 and Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC against Kamble at Wardha city police station.
**Maharashtra Model Exclusive**
Test less lockdown is on why opened RTPCR Center says in abusive & threatening language Congress MLA from Deoli Ranjit Kamble close aide of @rahulgandhi & @ashokchavanINC to District Health Officer Dr Ajay Davle. pic.twitter.com/vF862VUpI4
— Sameet Thakkar (@thakkar_sameet) May 10, 2021
“You are conducting tests in my constituency and do not feel the need to inform me about it? You announced a lockdown and have started with the testing as well? Are you playing politics with me? I will beat you… I will thrash you with my chappal. What do you think of my constituency? How can you conduct tests during lockdown? You can go to the superintendent or local police. You think he will save you? I will beat you inside the police station,” Kamble can he heard saying in the conversation recorded by Dr. Dhawale
As per available information, an antigen and RTPCR test camp was organized at a school at Nachangaon in Deoli taluka to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. Local office bearers took a photo during the event and posted it on social media. MLA Ranjit Kamble called District Health Officer Dr. Ajay Davle on the phone for having organized the camp without allegedly informing him and started abusing and threatening him in extremely vulgar language. There is speculation that Kamble’s real grouse was that testing would reveal a higher Covid patient count in his area, at a time when Maharashtra is the worst-hit state in the country and facing flak for its mismanagement of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Medical Officers Association, i.e. MAGMO protested against Kamble. The state president of this organization, Dr. Rajesh Gaikwad has written a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray through the organization and strongly condemned the incident.
He also demanded action against Kamble and warned that if the medical officers working during the pandemic period did not get justice, the union would take a tough decision in the near future and the state government would be held fully responsible for the same. BJP has demanded Kamble’s arrest.
Dhawale told media that the police are deliberately weakening the case by not booking Kamble under sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 294 (obscene act) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the IPC.
(Featured Image Source: ABP Mazha)
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