A video has surfaced on social media showing a patient’s death allegedly due to the absence of doctors at a government hospital in Patdi, located in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district. The video captures a relative of the deceased — a local teacher — visibly angry and confronting police officers, who are seen trying to move him away from the body.
The patient had been brought in with chest pain but reportedly received no medical attention. Following public outrage after the video went viral, the Gujarat Police have ordered an investigation into the incident.
The video also shows the grieving relative trying to explain the situation to the police, placing his hand on an officer’s shoulder out of distress, seeking comfort. In response, the policeman suddenly slapped him. Shocked, the man instinctively tried to defend himself, but before the situation could de-escalate, another policeman began slapping and beating him repeatedly, even though the relative made no further attempt to resist.
The disturbing visuals have been widely shared online, sparking outrage and criticism of the Gujarat government for its continued neglect and mistreatment of citizens in moments of deep grief and injustice.
The relatives demanded to call the doctor, but after the patient was brought in, he had to wait without consultation, leading to his death. The family of the deceased started arguing with the Hospital staff, questioning the negligence. When the matter escalated, the hospital staff called the police to manage the situation. The police, on arrival at the scene, were not only ready to hear the family, but also started to beat up the complainant. Without giving a chance to the relative to explain the situation, the police not only registered a complaint, but also started to beat him up, with the dead lying beside and tried to get him away from there.
He was further taken into custody and continued beating, blowing up his nose, resulting in a nosebleed. The family accused the police of detaining the relative under false charges and demanded that stringent action be taken against those involved.
The Surendranagar Deputy Inspector General (DIG) has handed over the probe to Dhrangadhra Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) JD Purohit. “We will examine the events before and after the video will and take appropriate action if misconduct is confirmed,” said police.
Earlier, the same hospital was in the news for the short time slot of the X-ray centre, from 9 am to 12 pm, which stranded patients, forcing them to take X-rays from private centres and spend 500 Rs or even more.
