NEW DELHI: A desperate, unsuccessful effort to save a 16-year-old girl's life led to a team of six doctors being assaulted early on Friday by a group of 25 persons accompanying the girl, who objected to their providing

. The procedure involves pressing down hard and rapidly on the chest and blowing into the patient's mouth.

The accused, residents of Turkman Gate area, allegedly attacked the doctors and vandalized the emergency ward in

.

According to the FIR registered by chief medical officer Arvind Mohan at the IP Estate police station (a copy of which is with TOI), the patient was brought to the emergency ward around 12.40am with fever, pain and a distended abdomen. "Clinical diagnosis was preparedý and the treatment was begun with the patient being given IV fluids and antibiotics. The blood samples were sent and the procedure and diagnosis explained to the attendants," the complainant said suddenly, she suffered cardiac arrest.

According to a source in

, the doctors immediately began to provide

, which involves pressing down hard and rapidly on the chest and blowing air into the patient's mouth. The doctors also removed the girl's clothes to administer an injection, but were unable to save the girl. At this, some of the people accompanying her began shouting that the doctors had misbehaved with the girl and killed her.

"The attendants - who were around 25 in number - attacked the resident doctors on duty and began to assault them. The group began to throw away medicines, broke trolleys, monitors and the telephone and vandalized the entire ward. The guards were not able to protect us. A decision to evacuate the emergency was taken as the accused had threatened to come back again in more numbers with firearms," the complainants said in the FIR. The doctors suffered minor injuries. They called for a strike on Saturday, but it was called off after the police mediated between both sides.

The police said they were informed through a PCR call and the CMO was subsequently informed too. A written complaint by the doctors was forwarded to the CMO who approached the cops. "A case under section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharging his duty) and 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) of IPC has been registered and the police is investigating the matter," said Devesh Chandra Srivastava, DCP, central district.

"The accused party was accompanied by the police and brought to us. We had a talk wherein they profusely apologized for their misbehavior following which the doctors decided to call of the strike. The issue is being solved amicably," said a senior administrative officer at LNJP Hospital.