He had advised people to sing and respect Vande Mataram

Nagpur: A social media post about Vande Mataram led to an attack on a doctor in Narkhed town in Nagpur district of Maharashtra on Thursday. Fifteen people were arrested on Friday for the attack.

Dr. Subhash Waghe, a medical practitioner in Narkhed, was attacked at his clinic by 15 to 20 men after he shared a post advising people to sing and respect Vande Mataram.

“The exchange of some messages on a social media group led to a feud between members of two communities in Narkhed on Thursday. Some men from a particular community went to the doctor’s clinic and attacked him. They were taking the doctor to the house of one of his friends when the police reached the spot and rescued the doctor and his friend. The police also managed to disperse the mob,” Shailesh Balkawade, Superintendent of Police (SP), Nagpur rural, told The Hindu.

“The doctor suffered minor injuries and was referred to a hospital in Nagpur. Extra force was deployed in Narkhed after the incident. We have arrested 15 people in this case and they were produced in court today,” the SP added.

Dr. Waghe, who suffered minor injuries, appealed to the people of the town to maintain peace. “Swift action by the police saved my life. The incident was unfortunate. The police are looking into this case. The people of Narkhed should keep calm and help the police in maintaining peace. No one should take law and order in their own hands,” he said in a video message.

The SP also informed that the doctor and the attackers did not belong to any religious or political group.

“We had to deploy extra forces yesterday as it was an issue between two communities. But peace has been restored now and the situation is under total control. The court ordered all accused to police custody and we are inquiring into all the aspects of this case,” Mr. Balkawade added.

A protest march was organised and a bandh call was given in Narkhed on Friday by all the communities and political parties to condemn the “inhuman attack on Dr.Waghe”. The SP informed that the march was peaceful and there was no untoward incident on Friday.