A video of a Mahindra Bolero being driven through an emergency ward of a hospital has been circulating online lately. The incident happened at AIIMS Rishikesh. The cops had driven the car into the emergency ward to arrest an accused in a sexual harassment case. According to reports that have surfaced online, a Nursing Officer working at AIIMS had harassed a woman doctor on duty.
The video, shared by Divya Gandotra Tandon on her X profile, shows a group of police officers and AIIMS security staff running in front of a Mahindra Bolero MPV. The Bolero belongs to the state police, who were driving the car through the emergency ward of the medical college.
As seen in the video, patients were lying on their designated beds in the emergency ward when the car came through. There was not enough space for the Bolero to drive through. The hospital’s security officers, along with the police officers, then moved the beds out of the way to make room for the Bolero.
Once the beds were cleared, the Bolero moved through the corridor. It is unclear whether the Bolero was coming out of the building after arresting the accused or if they were on their way to get the accused. We do see an officer sitting in the co-passenger seat recording a video of what was happening.
There is chaos inside the emergency ward as it is not usual to see a Bolero there. The video has been circulating on various social media platforms. While some people appreciated the cops’ actions, more people had a different opinion. The emergency ward of a hospital is not meant for vehicles. Many people who came across this video have posted similar comments under it.
We see comments like “What they are doing? Is this even allowed?”, “Something is grossly wrong with system. We can see that even stretchers are pushed aside to make way. Does it mean the vehicle can be just driven anywhere?” and many more.
After the doctor reported the Nursing Officer, there was a protest at the hospital. The accused has been suspended from his duties; however, the doctors want the management to take stricter action and terminate him from the job. The police also received a complaint that the Nursing Officer had sent vulgar messages to the doctor’s phone.
While we appreciate that the cops acted swiftly and arrested the culprit, we feel that driving a Bolero into an emergency ward of a hospital to nab the culprit was excessive. The emergency ward of a hospital is a place where people who need emergency care are often taken. Many of those admitted to this ward are on oxygen cylinders. Driving a diesel car through such a place is not the right thing to do.
The cops should have ideally parked the Jeep outside and walked up to the culprit. If the officers were worried about the reaction from the mob, they should have brought in more force to keep things under control. Driving a car through a hospital ward cannot be supported in any manner as it creates inconvenience for the patients.