BKU faction comes in support of accused, to protest on May 10

PATIALA: A day after former senior medical officer (SMO) Amar Singh Azad was booked for allegedly spreading misinformation on measles-rubella (MR) vaccination campaign, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Dakaunda) and some other organisations came in support of the accused.

Meanwhile, Dr Azad has not been arrested so far.

Leaders of BKU (Dakaunda) held a meeting here on Saturday and decided to protest against the police move on May 10 outside the mini-secretariat.

Jagmohan Singh, state general secretary of the BKU faction, said the case registered against Dr Azad is unjustifiable, as the both district administration and police are trying to kill logical voices against the campaign.

“It is a democratic country and everyone has a right to give their opinion on any issue at any platform. Dr Azad gave his opinion based on the facts, but instead of allowing a discussion on the issue, the authorities have registered a case against him,” he said.

He demanded cancellation of FIR against Dr Azad.

The Naujwan Bharat Sabha and the Lok Sangarsh Committee also condemned the filing of a case against Dr Azad. They demanded healthy discussion on the points raised by the ex-SMO, who questioned the immediate need of initiating such a campaign, besides asking parents to protect their right to informed consent.

Meanwhile, Patiala civil surgeon Dr Harish Malhotra said the health department is determined to carry MR campaign across the district, despite rumour-mongering. “The misinformation dented the campaign to some extent. However, our teams persuade the parents and school staff before going ahead with vaccination.”