A surgeon at the Kundapur Government Hospital, Dr. Mahendra Kumar Shetty, was accused of assaulting and threatening a journalist, Shrikant Hemmady, at a hotel in Kundapur on Friday. The Department of Health and Family Welfare suspended Dr. Shetty after the police registered a case against him.
Recently, Mr. Hemmady had reported in a Kannada daily about money being allegedly collected from poor patients for surgeries and other medical services at the Kundapur hospital. Following this, Dr. Shetty posted on Facebook, accusing Mr. Hemmady of publishing a false story. On Friday, a heated exchange took place between Dr. Shetty and Mr. Hemmady at a hotel, where the former assaulted the journalist and threatened his life, the police said. Visuals of the assault were widely circulated on social media.
Based on a complaint by Mr. Hemmady, the Kundapur police registered a case against the surgeon under Sections 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Condemning the incident, the Udupi District Union of Working Journalists, in a memorandum to Udupi Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar, said Mr. Hemmady had done his duty by bringing to light the problems faced by the public. It stated that the assault on Mr. Hemmady was a serious one, akin to an attack on the entire journalism fraternity, and demanded the arrest of the surgeon. Mr. Shankar told the union representatives that in the absence of a specific legal provision regarding attacks on journalists, the police could not immediately arrest the accused. He, however, assured them of a speedy investigation in the case.
Taking cognisance of the incident, Health Commissioner Gurudutt Hegde issued orders on Friday for the immediate suspension of Dr. Shetty, pending disciplinary proceedings, for dereliction of duty and irresponsible behaviour. During the period of suspension, Dr. Shetty will be deputed to the Government Hospital in Mundargi, Gadag district, to claim his sustenance allowance, Mr. Hegde said in the order.
Published – August 21, 2026 09:33 pm IST
