Jaunpur: Tension flared in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur after a Muslim pregnant woman was denied a treatment by a doctor at the district hospital due to her religion.
However, a charge hospital authorities denied the claims, officials told PTI.
Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) Dr Mahendra Gupta said the woman, identified as Shama Parveen from Biribari village, was brought to the district women’s hospital around 9:30 pm on September 30 for childbirth. A woman doctor on duty examined her at the time, he added.
A day later, on October 1, a video surfaced on social media showing Parveen claiming that the doctor told her, “I will not treat a Muslim woman. I will not conduct your delivery,” and instructed the nurse not to take her to the operation theatre, asking her family to shift her elsewhere.
Dr Gupta said he was “shocked” by the allegations and had sought an explanation from the doctor concerned.
“The doctor has denied making any communal remarks. An inquiry was conducted, and the findings have been sent to higher authorities,” he said.
Meanwhile, police have filed an FIR against two local journalists — Mayank Srivastava and Mohammad Usman — accused of circulating the video online.
The CMS lodged a complaint at Kotwali police station, alleging that the journalists forcibly entered the labour room, recorded videos, and damaged hospital property.
The episode has triggered political outrage.
Samajwadi Party MLA from Machhlishahr, Ragini Sonkar, called the case “disgraceful,” saying it reflected the “communal atmosphere prevailing in the state.”
She added, “No woman in labour would lie about being denied treatment. Filing a case against journalists instead of the accused doctor shows the government’s unwillingness to face the truth.” Sonkar said she would meet the district magistrate and, if needed, raise the issue in the Assembly.
Congress leader Vikesh Upadhyay Vikki also condemned the alleged incident. “It is utterly shameful if a doctor, who has sworn to serve all, refuses treatment on religious grounds. In such situations, the patient’s religion or caste should not matter. Strict action must be taken,” he said.
However, BJP spokesperson Avnish Tyagi dismissed the opposition’s allegations as unfounded and politically motivated.
