A doctor from a Scheduled Tribe community has accused the relatives of two patients of beating him up because they wanted a doctor from an upper caste to treat them, the Madhya Pradesh Police said on Sunday. The alleged incident occurred in a government hospital in Jabalpur, PTI quoted the police as saying.

Dr Geetesh Ratre has complained that the incident took place on Friday, when two women injured in an accident were brought to the Subhash Chandra Medical College around 7.30 pm. “Dr Ratre was on duty in the emergency department and he directed the medical staff to start treatment immediately,” said Garha police head S Khan. “However, a mob of about a dozen people, comprising relatives and acquaintances, reached there and asked Dr Ratre his name and caste.”

When the doctor told them that he was from a Scheduled Tribe community, the women’s relatives started demanding that only a doctor from an upper caste treat the injured, and roughed him up. “On the doctor’s complaint, we have registered a case against these people under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly using casteist remarks and under relevant section of the IPC [Indian Penal Code] for obstructing a government staff from doing his duty,” Khan added. The police are now looking for the accused.