Doctor gunned down in Delhi’s Kalindi Kunj by teen assailants

New Delhi: A 45-year-old doctor was shot dead in a targeted attack at a small nursing home in south east Delhi’s Kalindi Kunj during the early hours of Tuesday.

The police were alerted about the incident through a PCR call at the Kalindi Kunj Police Station. The incident occurred around 1:00 a.m. at Nima Hospital, a three-bed facility.

According to the police reports, a PCR call was received at 1:45 a.m. stating, “A doctor has been shot in the hospital, but we, the neighbors, have no further information on his condition.” The call was forwarded to Sub-Inspector Ved Prakash, who immediately rushed to the scene.

Upon arrival, the police found the doctor, identified as Javed Akhtar, a Unani practitioner (BUMS), slumped in his cabin with his head on the table.

A pool of blood had formed around him, indicating a fatal head wound from a gunshot. District crime teams and forensic experts from the FSL Rohini team were called to the scene to collect evidence.

Preliminary investigation revealed that two young boys, aged around 16 to 17 years, had visited the nursing home earlier.

One of them had come to get the dressing on his injured toe changed, a procedure he had undergone the previous night at the same hospital.

After the dressing was completed by nursing staff, both boys went to doctor Akhtar’s cabin for a prescription. Shortly after, a gunshot was heard by nursing staff members Gajala Parveen and Md Kamil.

Parveen rushed to the doctor’s cabin and discovered the horrifying scene, with doctor Akhtar in a pool of blood, the wound located on the left side of his head. The two boys had fled the scene before anyone could react.

CCTV cameras inside the hospital captured footage of the assailants, and the footage is being analysed to identify the suspects.

Police suspect the attack was premeditated, as the two youths had visited the hospital the night before, seemingly conducting reconnaissance.

Several doctors’ associations have strongly condemned the murder of Javed Akhtar, stating that healthcare professionals are under severe threat.

Dhruv Chauhan from the Indian Medical Association’s Junior Doctors Network described the situation as a societal breakdown, saying, “Doctors are now sitting on deathbeds.”

Suvrankar Datta, president of FAIMA, highlighted the ongoing violence against doctors, referencing other recent attacks.

FORDA questioned why doctors are becoming easy targets and demanded accountability for the deteriorating law and order situation.

FAIMA also scheduled an emergency meeting to discuss further action, as the killing reflects a wider crisis of violence against medics.