Health Workers, Activists Condemn Charges Against Hospital Owner in Delhi Riots Case

New Delhi: A group of more than 100 medical professionals, public health professionals, health networks, women’s groups and concerned individuals have released a statement condemning charges filed against Dr M.A. Anwar in relation to the communal violence in North East Delhi in late February this year. Anwar owns the Al Hind Hospital in New Mustafabad, and had treated several patients who had suffered bullet wounds and skull fractures during the violence.

In three days of targeted communal violence, more than 53 people were killed and hundreds injured. In their statement, the group has said Anwar needs to be celebrated rather than punished. “Dr. Anwar and Al Hind played a significant humanitarian role in saving the lives of people who were affected through provision of urgently needed medical services in a situation fraught with violence and fear,” the statement reads.

The Delhi police chargesheet – which has been questioned in multiple reports for failing to identify and act against true perpetrators and instead targeting activists and others – claims that Anwar organised a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act at Farooqia Masjid, and this protest turned violent. The chargesheet is about the murder of Dilbar Negi, a 20-year-old waiter at the Anil Sweets shop in Shiv Vihar.

Also read: Delhi Violence: Man Looted by Rioters Now Being Threatened to Withdraw Complaint

Anwar had responded to the allegations by saying he is being targeted for having helped the riot victims. “I am aware that my name has been mentioned in the chargesheet. Neither did I organise nor did I participate in the protest because I was always busy. In fact, a few times I told the local police that commuting in the area is a problem due to the protest and it should be cleared out. My name has been dragged in this simply because I treated people in the hospital during the riots. I am being dragged in this case because I showed basic humanity. I am being targeted. These are false allegations,” he told the Indian Express.

The statement points out that Anwar has been widely celebrated for his prompt action and adherence to medical principles, including by the Delhi high court. He acted, the signatories say, despite the imminent threat to his own safety. According to the statement:

“His prompt action to help injured people during the riots was praised by many persons, including the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi, and reports on the violence that recorded the role of Al Hind hospital and its owner, Dr. Anwar in helping victims of the  violence, irrespective of their religion or caste or class. Several medical teams working in the area during and in the aftermath of the violence, witnessed Dr. Anwar’s responsible, untiring response  as a medical professional,  providing healthcare in the most challenging circumstances in the midst of  targeted violence against the Muslim community  in that area at tremendous risk to his own life.”

The chargesheet against Anwar, the statement says, is part of a pattern of attacks against doctors who are working for the people. This pattern, they argue, is being seen during the COVID-19 pandemic too. Naming him in the chargesheet is an “abuse of the law and its process at the hand of the police and appears to be communally motivated”, they say.

Also read: As Family of Two Brothers Killed in Delhi Riots Await Justice, Police Point to WhatsApp Hate Group

“We urge the police to immediately remove Dr. Anwar’s name from the charge-sheet of FIR (39/20), Gokulpur Police Station, dated 28 February 2020, as these allegations are unwarranted, fallacious and defamatory. We demand that the police desist from harassment and intimidation and that no arrest be made on the basis of prejudiced and unwarranted allegations and investigation,” the statement says.

A full list of the signatories is below.

1. Jan Swasthya Abhiyan
2. National Alliance for Maternal Health and Human Rights
3. National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM)
4. Right to Food Campaign
5. New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI)
6. SAHELI, Delhi
7. T Sundararaman, Peoples Health Movement
8. Amar Jesani, Indian Journal for Medical Ethics
9. Vandana Prasad, Public Health Professional
10. Syeda Hameed, Delhi
11. Dr Mira Shiva (Public Health Physician)
12. Mohit P. Gandhi, Ph.D. Student, JNU
13. Yogesh Jain, Chhattisgarh
14. Sarojini N, Public Health Practitioner, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan
15. Priyank Jain
16. Harsh Mander, Aman Biradari
17. Sunita Baskar Abraham, Public Health Physician, Bangalore
18. Prabir KC, Public Health Consultant, Kolkata
19. Nandini Sundar, Sociologist
20. Deepa V, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, Delhi
21. Inayat Kakar, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, Punjab
22. Veena Johari, Mumbai
23. Kavita Srivastava, Peoples Union for Civil Liberties(PUCL), Rajasthan State President
24. Dr Shakeel, CHARM, Patna
25. S Srinivasan, LOCOST
26. Farah Naqvi, Writer & Activist, Delhi
27. Suroor Mander, Karwan e Mohabbat
28. Ravi Kiran Jain, President , PUCL
29. V Suresh, general Secretary, PUCL
30. National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW)
31. Brinelle Dsouza, TISS, JSA-MUMBAI, Justice Coalition of Religious -Maharashtra & Goa
32. Dr Sagari Ramdas, Food Sovereignty Alliance
33. Navsharan Singh Aman Biradari
34. Natasha Badhwar Karwan e Mohabbat
35. Mohan Rao, former professor, JNU
36. TK Sundari Ravindran, Retired Professor, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology
37. Deepika Joshi, Researcher, Chhattisgarh
38. Nandita Narain, Delhi University
39. Shabnam Hashmi, Social Activist, Delhi
40. Kalyani Menon-Sen, Feminist Learning Partnerships
41. Pamela Philipose, Journalist, New Delhi
42. Asha Kilaru, Bangalore Birth Network
43. Vineeta Bal, Pune
44. Dr Hafiz Muhammed K
45. Rita Manchanda, Delhi
46. Jashodhara Dasgupta, Independent Researcher, New Delhi
47. Sheba Chhachhi, New Delhi
48. Vani Subramaniam, Independent Film Maker, Delhi
49. R Srivats
50. Indranil Mukhopadhyay
51. Lata Singh, JNU
52. Radha Holla Bhar
53. Dimple Oberoi Vahali, Independent Activist
54. Jagdish Patel, Gujarat
55. Abhiti Gupta, Delhi
56. Dipta Bhog – women’s right Activist
57. Richa Chintan, Delhi
58. Susheela Singh, Delhi
59. Shraddha Chickerur, University of Hyderabad
60. Aparna Hegde, Founder, ARMMAN; Assoc Prof (Hon), Urogynecology, Cama Hospital, Mumbai and Founder, Center for Urogynecology and Pelvic Health, New Delhi
61. Sonali Vaid, Public Health Doctor, New Delhi
62. Sandeep pandey, Socialist Party (India)
63. Saima Furqan, Independent Doctor
64. Ahmad Matin Khan, Emergency Medicine Consultant
65. Bijayalaxmi Rautaray, Bhubaneswar,Odisha
66. Padma Deosthali, Mumbai
67. Dr Veena Shatrugna, Medical Scientist (Rtd.)
68. Sunita Sheel, Pune
69. Gooru Murthy, SOCHARA
70. Gouranga Mohapatra,  JSA/BGVS, ODISHA
71. Poonam Kaushik, Pragatisheel Mahila Sangathan Delhi
72. Dr Vikas Bajpai, Centre for Social Medicine and Community Health, JNU
73. Nachiket Udupa, Concerned Individual
74. Sneha Makkad, Delhi
75. Dr Sylvia Karpagam public health doctor
76. Sneha Rajaram, Writer, Bangalore
77. Vikash Prakash, Co-ordinator, Ekjut
78. Tejaswi Chhatwal, JNU
79. Mishika Singh, Lawyers for Detainees
80. Lawyers For Detainees
81. Dr Satendra Singh (Individual Capacity), University College of Medical Sciences & GTB Hospital, Delhi
82. Shruti Arora
83. Annie Raja, NFIW
84. Aparna
85. Avijit Dutt, Actor
86. Karishma Thariani
87. Devika Singh, Child rights worker
88. Karan Seth, Lawyers for Detainees
89. Priyanka, Concerned citizen
90. Chahna Gupta, Concerned citizen
91. Aditya Shrivastava, Right to Food Campaign
92. Campaign Against Hate Speech
93. FORWARD TRUST, Bangalore
94. Binju Abraham
95. Vishwanath Azad, Convenor, Jharkhand Sarvoday Mitra Mandal
96. Snehal Shah, Independent Researcher. Delhi
97. Shadan Farasat, Advocate, Supreme Court of India
98. Drishti Chawla, Concerned citizen
99. Garima Jain, Concerned citizen
100. Radhika Khajuria, Gender & Health Rights Activist, New Delhi
101. CA, Karim Khan
102. Neelanjana, JSA Chhattisgarh
103. Shreya Munoth, Advocate, Delhi
104. Sayan Das from CSMCH, JNU
105. Roopa Rawat, Nurse
106. Salma Saifi, Homoeopathic panacea
107. Kanchan Yadav, concerned citizen
108. Health For All Campaign
109. Naavu Bharatiyatu Karnataka