Pune doctor: Delhi incident not trivial, could’ve been harmed

PUNE: Social worker and gynaecologist from the city Arun Gadre (61) is yet to get over the shock of being accosted by a group of youngsters who, he claimed, made him chant “Jai Shri Ram” during his recent visit to Delhi.
The doctor on Wednesday said he realized only later that the incident was not trivial in nature and the youngsters could have harmed him if he had resisted.
Gadre, a member of the Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare, was in Delhi on Sunday and was supposed to visit Bijnor the same day to deliver a lecture at an event organized by the Indian Medical Association. In Delhi, he was staying at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) near Jantar Mantar and had stepped out for a morning walk on Sunday.
He said, “When I was returning from Connaught Place to YMCA, a group of about four to six youngsters obstructed me on the way near a Hanuman temple and told me to chant “Jai Shri Ram”. I was shocked and confused. Instead of arguing with them, I chose to repeat what they told me to say. They then directed me to say the words loudly. But this time, I started walking away from the spot.”
Gadre added, “I feared that they would follow me, but they did not. I initially thought that it was a trivial incident because they did not harm me. The election fever was just settling down and I did not want to make an issue out of the incident. I did not want people to jump to any conclusions. But when I recall what happened in Delhi, I realized that it was not a trivial incident and that they could have harmed me if I had resisted.”
The doctor returned to Pune on Tuesday. “Ever since people got to know about the incident, my phone is constantly ringing. I am getting calls from relatives, friends, well-wishers and representatives from various political parties. Everyone expressed shock at the incident. Many political party leaders told me that they expected that such incidents did not happen again. I was assured that such incidents will stop,” he said.
Gadre said people in general, political parties and the government should treat his experience as a wake-up call. “My appeal is that we should learn from the incident and ensure that no person suffers the way I did. I expect that all this will settle down as I feel people are working towards it. We should accept that we have a new government and let them act,” he said.