Banihal, Apr 22: A day after briefly locking Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Banihal in protest against the shortage of doctors, BJP leader Mohammad Saleem Bhat was detained by police and booked under relevant sections of law.
Police officials said that an FIR No. 63/2026 has been registered at Banihal Police Station under Sections 125, 126 and 127 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the incident. These provisions broadly relate to acts endangering human life or personal safety, wrongful restraint or obstruction, and conduct likely to cause public inconvenience or harm.
Mohammad Saleem Bhat, who had contested the recent Assembly elections on BJP mandate, had on Tuesday locked the main gate of the hospital located along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and staged a protest, alleging severe staff shortage. The protest had briefly disrupted hospital services before the lock was removed following intervention by the local administration, which assured action.
Defending his protest, Bhat said that at least four doctors had been shifted from SDH Banihal without any replacements, causing serious inconvenience to thousands of patients from Banihal, Ramsoo and Gool areas. He also highlighted that adequate medical staff is crucial in view of the upcoming Shri Amarnath Yatra.
