A senior doctor in India has publicly questioned whether medical professionals are expected to 'silently accept' physical and verbal abuse from patients, following a violent confrontation on a hospital ward that was captured on video.
The Incident and Conflicting Accounts
The altercation occurred at the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla, northern India, on 23 December 2025. Dr Raghav Narula, a senior physician in the Pulmonary Medicine Department, allegedly attacked a patient named Arjun Panwar (also referred to as Arjun Singh).
Mr Panwar claimed the assault happened after he asked the doctor to treat him with respect, alleging Dr Narula had been rude. He stated he was struggling to breathe after a bronchoscopy when the doctor questioned his admission status in a rude tone.
However, Dr Narula has presented a starkly different version of events. He explained that during a routine review of the new patient's CT scans, he recognised Mr Panwar and used an informal form of 'you' in Hindi ('tu'). 'This remark upset him. He suddenly became angry, started shouting loudly,' the doctor stated.
Dr Narula, who has eight years of experience, denied any initial provocation. 'I calmly explained that I had not spoken to him in a wrong manner, nor had I used a harsh tone,' he said.
Escalation and Allegations of Violence
The situation rapidly deteriorated. Dr Narula alleges the patient responded with abusive language, including insults about the doctor's parents, before the confrontation turned physical.
'The patient then pushed me and tried to hit me with an IV stand near the bed,' Dr Narula claimed. He also accused the patient of kicking and punching him, resulting in a fractured hand and back pain.
Furthermore, the doctor alleged that during the incident, the patient called 200–250 people into the ward, creating chaos and breaking things. Video footage from the ward purportedly shows the doctor striking the patient multiple times as he lay in bed.
A Plea for Fair Treatment of Medical Staff
In a passionate defence, Dr Narula challenged the expectation that doctors must endure abuse. 'Does this mean patients can say anything to us, do anything to us, and they are always right, while doctors are always wrong?' he asked.
He highlighted the personal cost of the incident, stating he waited seven to eight hours in a locked room for first aid. 'Do we study for years, work tirelessly and spend sleepless nights treating patients only to be treated this way by them?'
The fallout has been significant. A large crowd gathered at the hospital demanding action against the doctor. In response, Dr Rahul Rao, the medical superintendent of IGMC Shimla, confirmed a three-person inquiry committee has been established and will submit its report imminently. A police report has also been filed against Dr Narula.
The case raises urgent questions about the safety of healthcare workers and the protocols for de-escalating conflict in high-pressure hospital environments, issues that resonate with medical staff in the UK's NHS and worldwide.
