Lawyers ransack PIC in row with doctors; 4 patients die

A large number of enraged lawyers stormed and ransacked the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) on Wednesday, and at least four patients, including an elderly woman, died during the disturbance.

Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred at around 11:30am when a large number of stick-wielding lawyers surrounded the PIC building to protest against the "mocking video" of their colleagues by doctors on social media. The situation turned violent after lawyers shut down hospital's entry and exit points which created panic among doctors and patients.

The protesters also damaged all the medical equipments, windows and the doors of emergency theaters. As a result of which, the hospital staff had to flee, leaving behind patients inside and outside the intensive care units (ICUs) violence. Ambulances ferrying patients remained unable to reach the hospital due to violence. Lawyers also torched a police mobile van and pelted media personnel with stones when they reached the site shortly after the incident. Many media reporters, including women, were thrashed. Provincial Information Minister Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan was also manhandled by protesting lawyers. When police failed to control the situation, the Punjab government summoned an extra contingent of Rangers which assisted the police in maintaining law and order. After hours of continued violence, the police arrested around 35 lawyers including women and cleared the road.

According to eyewitnesses, some lawyers had also fired gun shots in the air outside the Services Hospital while hurling abuses at the Punjab police officials, especially Punjab IGP Shoaib Dastgir, for not lodging an FIR against "some doctors" under section-7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ACA). The protestors also thrashed elderly patients at the PIC, they added.

"I was busy in my work when I saw a large group of stick-wielding lawyers marching towards the Governor's House," said Muhammad Naveed, a trader at the Mall, while talking to Business Recorder. "When I asked a lawyer about the issue for which they were protesting, he said that they are going to teach a lesson to doctors," added Naveed while mentioning that the lawyer was referring to the video which went viral on social media.

"The incident occurred solely due to sheer negligence of security agencies and the Punjab government," he said while pointing out that the protestors had started their march from "Awan-e-Adl" (sessions court) by halting the entire traffic and no security personnel came to intercept them.

"CCTV cameras of the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) are installed on the entire route (right from Awan-e-Adal to PIC) but the security agencies could not take and preemptive action," said another citizen, Sohail, outside the PIC. The culprits can easily be identified through cameras installed outside the PIC, he added.

Meanwhile, the Young Consultants Association (YCA) announced a nationwide strike on Thursday to express solidarity with the PIC doctors. "Tomorrow no consultant will be on duty all across Punjab. Vandalism by lawyers is highly condemnable," YCA President Dr Hammad Butt said.

"Law would take its due course and action will be taken against those who had taken the law into their hands," said Provincial Law Minister Raja Basharat at a press conference after the incident. He was flanked by Fayyaz-ul-Hasan Chohan and Dr Yasmin Rashid.

According to Basharat, the Punjab government has started identification process and an inquiry has also been initiated. Ransacking of PIC and torture inflicted on doctors, patients and their relatives was condemnable, he said.

Asked about inaction on the part of police and administration, the law minister said that whosoever found involved in showing negligence would be taken to task. He said lawyers and other persons identified in the video footage "will be prosecuted". Basharat said a two-tier investigation has been launched. He said one part of the investigation will determine whether the police showed negligence in performance of its duty.

He said the situation had been simmering since November and the "appropriate circles were not taken into confidence or apprised of the developments." In this context, a separate investigation will be carried out, he added.

Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan said he rushed to the scene to play the role of a mediator between the two parties but he was manhandled. He maintained that the incident was a conspiracy in which lawyers were used to create lawlessness in the country. "We are standing with all the doctors who were tortured," expressed Dr Yasmin. Prime Minister Imran Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar have taken notice of the incident and directed the authorities concerned to submit to him a detailed report.

Reuters adds: Zulfikar Hameed, the Lahore city police chief, said the mob smashed windowpanes, doors and equipment at the cardiology hospital and also set several vehicles on fire.

Some of the protesters fired gunshots and pelted arriving police with stones and bricks, according to a hospital doctor, Ashraf Nizami. Several lawyers were arrested, police said.

"It was catastrophic for hours," Nizami said, adding that a 70-year-old female patient had died, and several patients were left unattended for hours, during the violence.

Nizami said the attackers forced doctors and nurses to flee, leaving patients in emergency and intensive care unattended.

Police fired tear gas to quell the mob while terrified patients and hospital staff fled to safety, officials said.

Lahore government official Kamran Ali said the lawyers were enraged over what they said was the beating by doctors of a lawyer at the hospital over his refusal to get in a queue of patients.

He said the lawyers were particularly angry about the doctors disseminating a mobile phone video on social media showing the beating.

Prime Minister Imran Khan's office launched an investigation into the incident. "It is a shame that some people would go and attack a hospital," his spokesman Nadeem Afzal Chan said.