Punjab Health Minister 'forces' university VC to lie on dirty mattress, causes uproar

A new video has emerged online which shows Punjab Health Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra forcing the Vice Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) to lie on a dirty mattress at a hospital. The video, shared by ANI, is being massively shared online and the Punjab minister is facing criticism for the same. 

The incident took place on Friday when Jouramajra was on an inspection of Faridkot's Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, which comes under the BFUHS. It is learned that the Vice Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Raj Bahadur, has resigned and requested the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to relieve him from services.

A video clip of the incident that circulated on social media, showed Jouramajra placing a hand on the veteran surgeon's shoulder as he pointed toward the "damaged and dirty condition" of the mattress inside the hospital's skin department.

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The minister is then seen to be allegedly forcing Dr Bahadur to lie down on the same mattress. Bahadur in the video is seen explaining to the minister that he was not responsible for the facilities, to which the AAP leader retorted "everything is in your hands". 

Watch the video here. 

 July 29, 2022

After the incident, Bahadur reportedly told Bhagwant Mann that that kind of atmosphere was not conducive to his work, and requested him to relieve him of his duties. Asked if he had resigned as the Vice Chancellor, Bahadur told PTI, "I have expressed my anguish to the Chief Minister and said I felt humiliated."

Sources said that the CM has taken a strong view of the incident and spoken to Jouramajra. Mann is also learned to have asked Bahadur to meet him next week. Bahadur, a specialist in spinal surgery and joint replacement, is a former director-principal of Government Medical College and Hospital in Chandigarh and has also been the head of the orthopedic department at PGIMER, Chandigarh.

Opposition slams Punjab Health Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra's behaviour

Opposition parties also hit out at the AAP dispensation over the incident. Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring demanded the minister's resignation.

"Punjab Health Minister @jouramajra's humiliating behaviour with Dr Raj Bahadur is highly condemnable. Minister must apologise," Warring tweeted. "The sort of behaviour meted by the Health Minister to VC Baba Farid Medical University Dr. Raj Bahadur is absolutely uncalled for. @BhagwantMann ji should take strict action against the arrogant Minister," senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa said in a tweet.

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Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal also called out the minister for "reprehensible behaviour." BJP leader Sunil Jakhar said the treatment meted out to distinguished Dr Raj Bahadur is shameful & totally unacceptable.

"Very sad that Dr Raj Bhadur (sic) has resigned, but he has done what any self-respecting person would do," Jakhar said in a tweet. "Now it's for @BhagwantMann to do what any conscientious CM ought to do-sack the health minister if that's what it takes to prevail upon Dr Raj Bhadur (sic) to withdraw his resignation," he wrote.