A 27-year-old woman doctor who contracted the virus while treating patients and has recovered from coronavirus recently, has been humiliated, locked and threatened by her neighbor, when she returned home after being discharged, in north Delhi.
The doctor, who works at a government hospital in north Delhi has submitted a written complaint to SHO Vasant Kunj South against her neighbor, identified as Manish, under sections of wrongful confinement and outraging the modesty of a woman.
As per sources, she returned to her home in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj on Wednesday, after being discharged from the hospital, however, her neighbor allegedly asked her to live elsewhere, verbally abused and then locked her inside her home.
“At around 4:30 pm, Mr. Manish came and started hurling abuses and screaming at me, saying I am corona positive and that I can’t stay here. Even after explaining to him that I have two confirmed negative reports and have been satisfactorily discharged from the isolation center, still he didn’t stop screaming at me,” the doctor wrote in her police complaint.
The man allegedly abused her and screamed “Let me now see how you will step out. You’ll now have to leave this place. Call whoever you want.”
“A complaint was received on Thursday from a doctor. She said she is a senior resident and was discharged from the isolation center. She had tested negative for Covid-19 twice but a resident, Manish, came to her and said that she can’t stay in the apartment,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Devender Arya said. “An FIR has been registered against the neighbor and investigation is on,” he added.
Meanwhile, the neighbor said he has apologized to the doctor and the police for his “aggressive behavior”. He claimed that he was unaware that the doctor had been on Covid-19 duty and objected only because she had returned home after just a week in quarantine.
“The doctor was shifted to the quarantine facility on May 6. I was surprised when she returned on May 13 because as per my knowledge, a COVID patient is quarantined for at least 14 days. I was concerned about my wife and children’s safety, so I protested. Later, I realized my mistake and apologized to her,” he said over the phone.
On the other hand, the Residents’ Welfare Association president, however, said the neighbor was aware of what was happening. A WhatsApp group was created to post updates from the day the doctor tested positive for the virus, the president added. She said that after the doctor tested positive, authorities recommended a home quarantine, as is usually done in the case of mild cases.
“But we knew that many residents would object to that. So, the authorities were requested to shift her to an isolation facility. The doctor also willingly shifted herself there. But neighbors humiliating her and not allowing her to live in her own house even after she has recovered from the disease is not justified,” the president informed. “We stand with her. What has happened to her is not correct and action will be taken against the neighbors for such behavior,” she added.
