A confrontation at the hospital involving a patient, her visitor, and a doctor led to the arrest of two individuals. The incident took place in the women’s ward of the Government Medical College Hospital in Vellore, where a disagreement over a male guest’s presence escalated into a physical altercation with a duty doctor.
On the evening of March 4, 2024, Vellore Taluk police detained 36-year-old S. Subha, a patient from Sathumadurai village near Vellore, and her friend R. Diwakar, 35, from Tiruvannamalai, for attacking a second-year postgraduate medical student at the hospital. Subha, a school teacher, had been receiving treatment for a urinary tract infection in the women’s ward.
The altercation occurred when Mr. Diwakar visited Ms. Subha and was found by Dr. S. Vishal, a 26-year-old from Chennai and the duty doctor, lying on Subha’s bed during his rounds. After Diwakar indicated Subha was in the restroom, Dr. Vishal objected to his presence in the ward and requested he leave, which sparked an argument. Subha returned, sided with her friend, and the disagreement escalated into a physical confrontation, culminating in Subha hitting Dr. Vishal with slippers.
Following the incident, hospital officials notified the local police, who initiated an investigation. Dr. Vishal, treated for neck injuries, filed a complaint leading to the arrest of Subha and Diwakar under the Tamil Nadu Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2008, and additional charges. Diwakar was sent to the Central Prison in Vellore, while police stationed officers at the hospital where Subha continued her treatment.