Telugu Desam Party (TDP) general secretary Nara Lokesh has alleged that there is no safety for Dalits in the State. The TDP general secretary was in the city on Monday to meet the family members of anaesthetist Sudhakar, who died of cardiac arrest on Thursday night. Dr. Sudhakar was suspended from service for criticising the State government on its failure to provide PPE kits and masks to doctors and healthcare workers during the first phase of COVID-19 last year.
Mr. Lokesh alleged that Dr. Sudhakar was targeted as he had found fault with the government for failing to supply masks and PPE kits to doctors, who were rendering services to COVID-19 patients, ignoring the threat to their own lives.
The TDP general secretary alleged that Dr. Sudhakar was manhandled by the police on the national highway in the city and later labelled him as a ‘madman’. Mr. Lokesh alleged that Dr. Sudhakar had said that he was targeted by the local MLA as he had exposed the shortcomings at the hospital. A letter written by Telugu Mahila president Anita, giving details of the ill-treatment of Dr. Sudhakar by the police and the government, was taken up for investigation suo motu by the AP High Court.
The High Court had ordered a CBI investigation into the alleged ill-treatment of Dr. Sudhakar. Mr. Lokesh alleged that the State government had exerted pressure on Dr. Sudhakar to admit his mistake, failing which he would lose his job. The CBI had submitted a report to the High Court on September 2, 2020, that there was a conspiracy angle in the case, Mr. Lokesh said.
He said it was unfortunate that Dr. Sudhakar had died before he could get justice. He said that the TDP would stand by Dr. Sudhakar’s family and demanded that the State government provide ₹1 crore as compensation.
