COVID-19 patient arrested for assaulting doctor

 A 23-year-old COVID-19 patient was arrested here on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting a doctor at the state-run Gandhi Hospital here on April 1 and produced before a local court through video conference.

He was later remanded to judicial custody. The court directed that he be kept at the newly created jail ward in the hospital till his treatment is over and later lodged in prison, a senior police official said.

The ward was set up to house patients, COVID-19 positive cases or suspected cases arrested for grave offences, he said. The man was the son of a 49-year old COVID-19 patient who died on April 1 while undergoing treatment, following which he attacked the duty doctor.

All the family members of the man also tested positive for the virus, police said. Meanwhile, the son of a man under quarantine at a hospital here was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting the duty doctor following an argument after two others in the ward tested positive, police said.

His brother was also arrested for allegedly threatening and abusing the doctor, they said. The incident occurred on Tuesday when family members of the 55-year-old man, who was admitted to the Osmania General

Hospital on Monday, demanded that he be discharged after two others in the same ward tested positive for coronavirus. An argument broke out and one of his sons allegedly attacked the doctor while the other threatened and abused the doctor, they said.

Amid the drama, the patient managed to give the slip but was later traced from a nearby area. Meanwhile, a video went viral on social media purportedly showing a policeman snatching vegetables from a vendor and using 'abusive' language.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shamshabad Zone) N Prakash Reddy, however, denied that vegetables were snatched and said the vendor was found selling them violating the social distancing norms and a case had been registered against him.

On the charge that the vendor was abused, he said the audio was not clear and an inquiry would be held.