By IANS
Noida : An orthopaedic surgeon here has been arrested for allegedly attempting to murder a journalist who had run up unpaid bills and who tried to get information about the doctor’s hospital under the Right to Information Act.
B.P. Singh, who owns the Prayag hospital, allegedly hired goons to attack Mahesh Vats, who is now battling for life at the Metro Hospital in this satellite town of New Delhi.
Vats, who had apparently paid Rs.7,000 against a bill of Rs.35,000 for an injury a few years ago claiming that treatment at Prayag was ineffective, was attacked Thursday morning.
In June this year, Singh had moved a city court to recover the remaining amount, and the court reportedly directed Vats to pay it up.
But Vats instead filed an application under the Right to Information Act seeking information from Noida authorities about illegal construction in Prayag hospital.
Speculating that this might have led to the attack, a senior police official said: “We have arrested the doctor (Singh) from his hospital on the allegations made by Mahesh Vats, who was grievously injured after a speeding car hit his scooter from behind in Sector 71 Thursday morning.”
Vats’ family and friends have alleged that the doctor had a long-standing money dispute with him. He hatched a plan to abduct Vats and tried to murder him in collusion with the hired goons, they say.
On Thursday morning, an unidentified person rushed Vats, 38, to the Prayag Hospital after a speeding Alto car hit his two-wheeler from behind. The driver of the car managed to flee the spot.
After admitting Vats, who writes for Shah Times, in Prayag Hospital, the stranger left the place. When policemen went looking for the injured Vats, they saw Singh treating him in a general ward. When the cops intervened, Vats was shifted to the intensive care unit.
The journalist was later shifted to the Metro Hospital and placed on life supporting system. The doctors at the hospital said: “He has suffered severe head injuries and chances for his survival are slim.
“(The doctor) had threatened Mahesh with dire consequences if he did not pay the rest of the bill amount,” said Vats’ friend U.K. Bhardwaj.