Bhopal: An eight-year-old girl was forced to go without food and water for nearly 24 hours, spending hours in a police statuion, after her father and some relatives were locked up by cops for allegedly beating up doctors. In fact, those detained had been thrashed by doctors — they carry injuries to prove it — and police had not taken their complaint till this report was filed.The child's mother, Azra, was also named in the case and made to sit in the police station till late at night. When asked about it, ASP Rajesh Bhadouria denied that Azra was arrested and said she came on her own. Asked why the child was made to sit at the police station for six long hours, DIG Santosh Singh expressed ignorance about it. He said that ASP Zone-III will probe the incident and if it is found true, action will be taken against the officials responsible.The child, Simran alias Simra, was admitted to Hamidia Hospital on Thursday with a fracture in her hand and needs surgery on her elbow, said her brother, 20-year-old Anas. She was given an OT appointment at 9.15am on Wednesday. Accordingly, Simra was taken to the OT at 7am. She had been asked to come on an emoty stomach so she hadn't taken anythng since 10pm the previous night.She was second in queue but till 1.30pm, she was just loitering inside the OT, said Anas. Then, a doctor walked out to inform the anxious parents that the operation has been postponed. "Dr Sujeet Mishra, who was handling the case, came to my father Iqbal, and told him that she would be operated on Saturday. He said that patients will be operated only in emergency. When my father asked him to operate her in emergency, the doctor denied," said Anas.Upset at the trouble the child had gone through, her family members protested. "We had also deposited the operation charges of Rs 2,200 along with Rs 700 for medicines and Rs 100 for an operation gown. The sudden denial led to arguments with doctors," Anas added.During the argument, other doctors gathered outside the OT and started shoving them, he alleged, adding that they pushed his mother Azra, too. "We again protested. This led to a scuffle and the doctors started beating us up," Anas said.The doctors and staff thrashed them, dragged them in front of the casualty room and beat them again, says Anas. "They were 60-70 in number. Police were standing near the spot but did not intervene. It is only when my father got injured that police intervened and took them to the police station," he added.SHO Koh-e-Fiza police station Anil Bajpai said that a case was registered against Iqbal, his brother Aijaz, Anas and Azra. They have been charged with assault and threatening doctors under IPC and Doctors' Protection Act. The case was registered on a complaint by Dr Mishra. He complained that as soon as Simra's operation was postponed, the kin got angry and started scuffling with him, which fractured a doctor's hand.Bajpai said the patient's kin have also submitted a written complaint against doctors that "is being investigated". ASP Rajesh Bhadouria denied that Simra and her mother Azra were made to sit in the police station for six hours. He said that only three arrests have been made — Anas, Iqbal and Aijaz.He claimed that Azra along with Simra and her kin reached Koh-e-fiza police station in the evening along with a written complaint against doctors. The medical examination of the three accused has been conducted and they are looking for CCTV footage of the hospital. If the kin's claims are found true a counter case would be registered, he saaid.GMC dean Dr M C Songra said: "We are inquiring into the matter. A full review will take place. The family was informed about postponement of the surgery at 12.30pm after which patient's relatives and resident doctors had an argument." An average roster for orthopaedic surgery has about four to six patients a day. "There are unexpected occurrences during surgery. The patient's surgery was postponed for medical reasons," said an official.

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