In Tamil Nadu, BJP functionary was hunted down like a criminal and arrested for questioning a Muslim doctor why she was wearing burqa instead of white coat and id card. The doctor works at a government hospital and rudely replied, “Hijab is my right. This is my uniform”. It is alleged that she didn’t even provide first aid to a patient brought by the BJP functionary.
Bhuvanesh Ram, a functionary of the BJP Nagapattinam unit went to the government hospital in Thirupoondi on May 24. He brought one Subramaniam, a relative who complained of chest pain for treatment. Janneth Firdhouse, the doctor on duty in the hospital allegedly asked him to take the patient to the Nagapattinam General Hospital.
Media reports say that he immediately started questioning the doctor on why she wasn’t wearing a uniform and id card and was in a burqa instead. He kept asking for Dr Aravind, a senior doctor. As no one gave any answer he started recording a video of the attending nurse and the doctor. A subtitled version of the video filmed by Bhuvanesh can be watched above. Nowhere is he seen or heard asking the doctor to remove her hijab.
He only wondered how he can believe that she is a doctor when she is neither in uniform nor wearing an identity card. The doctor also filmed a video alleging that he used obscene language and filmed her without her permission. But even in that video, no abusive language can be heard. It is unclear whether something transpired before or after the videos were shot. From what is available on social media and other platforms Bhuvanesh only questioned her etiquette as a government doctor.
Yet every media spun it as a BJP functionary harassing a Muslim woman to remove her hijab. The other side alleges that the doctor didn’t even come near the patient and advised to take him to the Nagapattinam General Hospital without even examining him. Facebook posts narrating the sequence of events say that only a nurse and assistant were present in the hospital when the patient arrived. He was given first aid reportedly after wasting 20 minutes.
When Bhuvanesh enquired where the senior doctor was the nurse said that he advised them to offer first aid and that he would arrive in a few minutes. Dr Jenneth Firdouse reportedly arrived after 40 minutes in burqa and hijab without a doctor’s coat and identity card. She allegedly didn’t even go near the patient and looked at him from a 4 feet distance. Then she advised that the patient should be taken to the other hospital.
Wondering who she was, owing to her appearance and attire, Bhuvanesh enquired who she was. The woman acted arrogantly and called someone on her phone following which Muslim organisation gathered at the hospital. BJP people allege that she said, “Hijab is my Uyir(lifeline). Government job is Mayir(hair). I would leave this job at this moment. My religion is most important to me”.
It is said that Bhuvanesh immediately informed the chief doctor, filed a complaint at the local police station and took the patient to the general hospital. He died the next morning reportedly due to negligence and belated first aid. The doctor also had filed a complaint against Bhuvanesh based on which he was booked under sections 294 B(using obscene words in public space), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 298 (Uttering words with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings) and the IT act. A special team was formed to ‘catch’ him and he was arrested today.
TN Health Minister Ma Subramanian assured that action will be taken against the doctor if she is found to have violated the rules of conduct. Meanwhile, social media is flooded with abusive messages against Bhuvanesh, BJP and Hindus in general and accusations that he asked the doctor to remove her hijab fly high even though there is no evidence to suggest that. On the contrary, the doctor can be seen behaving rudely instead of allaying a common man’s doubts.
