Mohammad bin Ismail and Raihan Shahid | Clarion India
NEW DELHI/DEHRADUN — A Muslim doctor working at AIIMS Rishikesh has become the latest target of Hindu groups following the terror attack in Pahalgam last month. Members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal accused the doctor of distributing sweets after the attack, a claim that AIIMS authorities later said was not supported by any evidence.
This is the fourth such case where individuals from the Muslim community — be it a police officer, lawyer, or politician — have faced threats or been publicly named without proof, following the April 22 attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
The tension flared again on Monday (May 5) when VHP and Bajrang Dal activists tried to storm the AIIMS Rishikesh campus, demanding the Muslim doctor’s dismissal. The protest caused panic among patients and disrupted hospital operations for some time.
AIIMS Public Relations Officer, Sandeep Kumar, told reporters, “The police are investigating the case, but as of now, the internal inquiry by AIIMS has not found any evidence to support the claims against the doctor.”
Despite this, Hindu group leaders continued to demand the doctor’s removal, alleging that he had an “anti-national mindset”.
Naresh Uniyal, a local Bajrang Dal leader, said, “This country has no place for anyone who supports terrorism, directly or indirectly. We demand that this doctor be dismissed immediately. If our demands are not met, we will launch a big movement.”
Muslim leaders and civil society members have raised concerns over the growing trend of targeting Muslims without evidence, especially following any incident of terrorism.
Dr Aslam Qureshi, a senior physician based in Delhi and spokesperson for the Indian Muslim Medical Association, condemned the harassment of the Rishikesh doctor. “This is an attempt to communalise a national tragedy. No doctor in AIIMS would celebrate an act of terror. These false claims are hurting our democracy and our healthcare system,” he said.
He added, “Doctors are trained to save lives, not promote hatred. It is painful to see a respected doctor being humiliated based on rumours.”
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.