Dr Anitha Rani moves HC against YSRCP leaders

Dr Anitha Rani, who accused the YSRCP leaders of abusing her and filming her while bathing, on Monday moved the High Court while the state government had ordered a CID investigation into the incident.

While the state government had ordered a CID probe, Chittoor DMHO M Penchalaiah said Dr Anitha Rani was suspended. “For over 15 years, she has not been properly treating the patients. She has often picked up arguments and fights with the staff of the hospital in Penumuru village of Chittoor district. Her state of mind is questionable, Penchalaiah stated on Monday. After Dr Sudhakar Rao, Dr Anita Rani is branded as mentally unsound.

Who is Dr Anita and what is her charge?

Dr Anita Rai had alleged that YSRCP leaders allegedly filmed her while she was bathing in the hospital and also took snaps of her. She said, for more than two months, she was subjected to harassment by the YSRCP leaders for raising several malpractices and corruption issues in the government hospital. Further, she stated that when she had approached the Penumuru police to register a case against the YSRCP leaders, they ignored her complaint. At a media briefing, she stated that efforts were being made to project her as mentally unsound by the state government because she raised certain malpractices in the government hospital in the Penumuru village of Chittoor district just as Dr Sudhakar Rao who was suspended, arrested and confined in a mental asylum for pointing fingers at the shortage of medical equipment.

365 days of Jagan’s rule, 370 cases: Lokesh

Meanwhile, TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh came down heavily on the YSRCP ruling over the increasing attacks on Dalits in Andhra Pradesh under what he called the autocratic rule of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. He questioned the Andhra Pradesh government why no cases were booked against the YSRCP leaders who sexually and emotionally assaulted a lady doctor. Lokesh said the police had failed to register a complaint under pressure from Deputy Chief Minister K Narayana Swamy who hails from Chittoor.

“In the 365 days of Jagan’s rule, 370 cases were filed against the Jagan government. If such a thing happens to your own family members will you keep quiet,” Lokesh asked at a media briefing. Demanding a thorough investigation into the incident, Lokesh asked, “Jagan garu, has the Disha legislation lost its disha (direction)? It is shameful that your government is sheilding goondas who are assualting a Dalit lady doctor instead of booking them under Disha Act. In the Raja Reddy governance being implemented by YS Jagan, there seems to be no security and protection to Dalits and their children. The harassment meted out to Dr Anita Rani by the YSRCP leaders is heinous and shameful. Those who abused the dutiful doctor and filmed her should be severely punished.”

“The fundamental rights of people are being suppressed. The YSRCP government is targeting the Dalits who are being discriminated against and humiliated in Andhra Pradesh,” Lokesh noted. He decried the confinement of Dr Sudhakar in the asylum which he said was politically motivated. He noted that the Jagan government instead of protecting people’s rights to freedom of expression was creating an atmosphere of fear. “Dr Sudhakar Rao was arrested and confined in a mental asylum all because he pointed fingers at the shortage of medical equipment,” Lokesh said.

Recently, Dr Sudhakar Rao, who was working as civil surgeon in Narsipatnam government hospital, was suspended by the state government for raising voice of dissent over shortage of medical equipment in government hospitals. The Andhra Pradesh police had arrested him by tying a rope to his hands, dragged him on the streets and was beaten. Further, the AP police foisted false cases against Dr Sudhakar Rao under Sections 353 for assault, criminal force and obstruction of a public servant from discharging duty, Section 427 of IPC for causing mischief and Section 506 for criminal intimidation. He was illegally detained in the Government Mental Hospital for more than three weeks without any valid reason. The High Court had ordered a CBI probe into Dr Sudhakar Rao case which was criticised by YSRCP leader Aamachi Krishna Mohan who questioned the HC directive saying “Why order a CBI probe into a petty case”. After Dr Sudhakar’s 90-year-old mother Kaveri Bai had filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court demanding that the state government produce his son before the court in the next 24 hours, the High Court had directed the state government to discharge Dr Sudhakar from the Government Mental Hospital in Vizag. On Saturday night, Dr Sudhakar walked to freedom thanks to the relentless fight of his 90-year-old mother Kaveri Bai who moved heaven and earth for his discharge.