Kundapur government hospital surgeon assaults journalist, suspended
Dr. Mahendra Kumar Shetty, a surgeon at Kundapur Government Hospital, has been suspended following allegations of assaulting a journalist. The incident occurred after the journalist reported on alleged corruption involving medical fees at the hospital.
Why it matters
The case highlights tensions between local media and public officials regarding accountability and the safety of journalists investigating corruption.
A surgeon at the Kundapur Government Hospital, Dr. Mahendra Kumar Shetty, was accused of assaulting and threatening a journalist, Shrikant Hemmady, at a hotel in Kundapur on Friday. The Department of Health and Family Welfare suspended Dr. Shetty after the police registered a case against him.
Recently, Mr. Hemmady had reported in a Kannada daily about money being allegedly collected from poor patients for surgeries and other medical services at the Kundapur hospital. Following this, Dr. Shetty posted on Facebook, accusing Mr. Hemmady of publishing a false story. On Friday, a heated exchange took place between Dr. Shetty and Mr. Hemmady at a hotel, where the former assaulted the journalist and threatened his life, the police said. Visuals of the assault were widely circulated on social media.
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