Doctor shot dead on duty in Delhi hospital by 2 teens, police suspect targeted killing

The violence against doctors and medical staff is turning rampant in the country. A new murder case was reported at a private nursing home in New Delhi’s Badarpur on Wednesday(October 2, 2024). A 55-year-old doctor was shot dead by allegedly two teenagers at Jaitpur’s Nima Hospital last night. According to the police, the incident is possibly a case of targeted killing. 

The victim was identified as Dr Javed Akhar, a practitioner of Unani Medicine. Police suspect the teenagers could be 16 or 17 years old. The assailants could have been at the hospital the previous night for a recee, speculate the police officials.

A hospital staff has told the police official that the two teenagers arrived late at night for a change of dressing. One of the teenagers asked for a dressing for his injured toe. Both of them went to the doctor’s cabin for a prescription after the dressing was done. Soon after, nursing staff Gajala Parveen and Md Kamil heard a gunshot and they rushed to the cabin to find the doctor who was bleeding from his head. As per reports, the police officials have begun investigating the case and are scanning the footage of CCTV cameras to identify the suspects. 

This Delhi shooting case comes after Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital case in which a trainee woman doctor was raped and murdered. The crime sparked nationwide protests demanding the safety of doctors and medical staff on duty, following which the Supreme Court of India has set up a National Task Force in the matter.  Meanwhile, fresh crime cases demand serious amendments to the law and order situation in the national capital. AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj recently remarked that Delhi has become the crime capital and blamed the central government and Delhi's Lieutenant governor for the situation.