Cop 'with mental illness' shoots, injures doctor in Karachi hospital

He was reportedly denied assistance at the hospital a day before the incident


Yaseen Jubalpori June 18, 2020
PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: A counter-terrorism department (CTD) official, identified as Kamran alias Kami, opened fire in the emergency ward of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) on Wednesday night, injuring an on-duty doctor, Fahad.

Chaos ensued at NICVD when Kamran opened fire in the emergency ward. Doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, patients and attendants alike were forced to scatter in a frenzied panic, while one bullet shot from Kamran's pistol hit Dr Fahad in his leg. The bullet went through one leg and pierced the other as well, leaving him injured in both legs.

Dr Fahad was given emergency first aid while Kamran fled the scene in an ambulance. Eyewitnesses said that he was soon caught by nearby citizens and the guards of the emergency ward, who chased after him. They handed him over to the police, along with the weapon they found on his person, when the latter arrived after receiving information.

Meanwhile, Dr Fahad was shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Hospital (JPMC), where his condition was said to be stable. His statement, however, is yet to be recorded.

Following this incident, NICVD management closed off the emergency ward for cardiac patients, and referred all incoming cases to private hospitals.

Later, a case was registered against Kamran under Section 324 of the Pakistan Penal Code, pertaining to attempted murder, on behalf of Dr Fahad's son, Abdul Hussain.

Hussain, in his statement to police, has said that a man in shalwar kameez entered the emergency ward of the NICVD on Wednesday night and inquired who was on duty in the ward the previous night. When Dr Fahad expressed ignorance, the man hurled abuses at him, threatened him with dire consequences, shot him in both thighs and fled, he added.

According to the Saddar SHO, Kamran is a CTD official deputed in Civil Lines.

In a WhatsApp voice note, sent by CTD-II Civil Lines In-charge Inspector Raja Umar Khattab shortly after the incident, he has claimed that the detained cop has a mental health condition and had been unwell for the past few days.

According to him, Kamran had gone to the NICVD on Tuesday seeking medication to help him sleep as he told the doctors he was suffering from insomnia. However, one of the doctors on duty at the time, Dr Prakash, refused to prescribe the medication which resulted in a dispute.

As per Khattab, a disgruntled Kamran left the hospital that day but returned on Wednesday night when he asked to see Dr Prakash again. On being unable to find him, Kamran was agitated and opened fire, said Khattab.

In the voice note, Khattab added that after the incident Kamran fled and reached the Civil Lines police station, where he made a ruckus screaming that he had killed a doctor. At this, the Saddar SHO was immediately contacted and after gathering information, Kamran was handed over to Saddar police, said Khattab.

Meanwhile, sources in the CTD claim that Kamran also deals drugs in the Defence area.

On the other hand, Kamran has claimed during interrogation that when he visited the hospital "in critical condition" on Tuesday night, he was made to wait in a long queue and was "forced by Dr Prakash to get a [face] mask." According to Kamran, he then requested a person ahead of him in the queue to switch places with him to the other man agreed, but he was insulted by Dr Prakash for the act and had to leave without getting treated.

The police said that he had confessed to threatening the doctor, saying that he wanted to "punish the doctor for his indifference." As a result, he left his house with a pistol loaded with five bullets. However, when he couldn't find Dr Prakash upon reaching the hospital, he instead opened fire at Dr Fahad, police quoted Kamran.

Sparking an outcry

The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has condemned in strong words the shooting of a doctor at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases by a counter-terrorism department official, terming the act "absolutely not acceptable."

In a statement issued on Thursday, the PMA pointed out that the doctors were already working in unfavourable conditions and this kind of "gundaism" [thuggish behaviour] would make things even more difficult for them.

"Presently, we doctors are treating patients putting our own lives at risk. Doctors are under tremendous stress not just with regards to their workload but also with respect to the circumstances in which they are compelled to perform their duties…, [including the] non-provision of required security measures, scarcity of medicines and above all, [the] hostile attitude of patients' attendants," the PMA stated.

Stating that the body had always been inclined towards settling matters through peaceful negotiations instead of protests and strikes, the PMA warned that if such instances continued to take place, it might feel compelled to think otherwise.

Demanding proper inquiry into the incident and penalising the offender, the body also called for the Sindh government and law enforcement agencies to take measures for preventing the occurrence of other similar incidents in the future. It has also demanded that the injured doctor be provided the best possible medical care.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association, too, strongly condemned the incident and demanded legal proceedings against the errant cop.

In a statement issued on Thursday, they demanded that the Sindh government ensure security outside hospitals. They also asked that the provincial government bear the expenses of the injured doctor.

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