Shimla doctor-patient brawl: Senior resident sacked, probe panel finds both parties at fault

An FIR has been lodged against Dr. Raghav Narula by the attendants of the patient.

A senior resident doctor, who was involved in a physical altercation with his patient at a Shimla hospital, has been terminated from service by the Himachal Pradesh government. According to officials, Dr Raghav Narula's services have been terminated after 'misconduct, misbehaviour and acts unbecoming of a public servant’ were found on his part.

As per a report submitted by a panel formed to investigate the incident that took place on Monday, both parties are at fault – Arjun Singh, the patient who teaches in a private academy in Shimla, and Raghav Narula, the senior resident doctor.

"Both the patient and the senior resident doctor were responsible for the incident, which amounted to misconduct, misbehaviour, acts unbecoming of a public servant, and violation of the Resident Doctor Policy-2025," an order issued on Wednesday evening by the director of medical education and research said.

In view of the above facts, the services of Dr Raghav Narula, senior resident in the department of pulmonary medicine, IGMC Shimla, have been terminated under the provisions of Clause 9 of the Resident Doctor Policy-2025 with immediate effect, the order said.

In addition, an FIR has been lodged against the doctor by the attendants of the patient.

A viral video of the confrontation, which took place in the pulmonary ward of the Indira Gandhi Medical College on Monday, showed the doctor punching the patient in the face, while the patient was seen trying to kick the doctor.

Based on a preliminary report, the authorities had suspended Narula on Monday evening.

Arjun Singh, a resident of Kupvi in Shimla district, had gone to the hospital for a bronchoscopy and felt breathlessness following the procedure. He alleged that the dispute started over the doctor's choice of words.

Singh claimed he objected when the doctor addressed him as "tu" instead of "tum", which made Narula aggressive. However, Narula maintained that the patient instigated the fight by using abusive language against him and his family.

The doctor also claimed the video circulated widely shows only the partial truth.

The incident triggered a protest at the hospital on Monday, with Singh's relatives and other patients demanding the doctor's arrest. The situation was pacified only after police intervention.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Shimla Association of Medical and Dental College Teachers (SAMDCOT) called for a transparent investigation into the incident and warned that if legal action is not taken against those who allegedly incited the crowd, a statewide movement will be launched.

"Harassment, threats, misinformation and unsafe working conditions are forcing doctors to take collective action to protect their safety and dignity, which ultimately impacts patient care," the association said, adding that hospitals must remain safe spaces for both patients and healthcare providers.