The Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has petitioned the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to take cognisance of the “harassment of the whistleblower doctors by the YSRCP in the State.”
In a letter addressed to the NHRC Chairman, APCC president S. Sailajanath represented the case of APCC vice-president G. Gangadhar, a practising paediatrician, against whom a case had been booked under Sections 54 and 58 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and a notice issued asking him to appear before the CID for investigation on August 30 (Sunday).
Mr. Sailajanath said that Dr. Gangadhar, in an interview to a vernacular TV channel on April 16, had expressed anguish over how doctors and health staff were getting infected with coronavirus, and how a few of them had succumbed due to short supply of PPE kits, masks and sanitisers. He had also expressed fear that if the situation did not improve, the State might lose the battle against the virus.
The APCC president said the if one listened to the audio, it would be clear that Dr. Gangadhar was only putting forth his views in a constructive way rather than “unduly criticising the government or creating panic” as was being projected.
Dr. Gangadhar had only tried to bring to the notice of the people at the helm about the ground realities and the shortcomings in handling the COVID-19 pandemic, and had suggested remedial measures needed to be implemented immediately, said Mr. Sailajanath.
‘Infringement of rights’
The Congress leader said the government’s action tantamount to curtailing the freedom of expression guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution. He said the callous management of the pandemic by the government was also violative of Article 21 of the Constitution, which promised “protection of life” to all citizens.
Stating that the YSRCP government had been curtailing the rights of responsible and law-abiding citizens by slapping cases against them, and endangering the life of the common man through its “callous, negligent and unscientific management of the coronavirus,” Mr. Sailajanath said the Commission should intervene to provide relief to the activists such as Dr. Gangadhar, and also to the people at large, who had been suffering and dying for want of proper medical facilities.
