Govt doctor heard in audio clip telling colleague to 'Kill' Covid-19 patient; FIR lodged

Police have registered an FIR against a senior doctor of a government hospital in Maharashtra's Latur district for allegedly instructing a colleague to "kill" a COVID-19 patient during the pandemic in 2021, officials said on Thursday.

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An audio clip recently surfaced on social media of the purported conversation between the accused, Dr Shashikant Deshpande, who was then additional district surgeon at the Udgir Government Hospital in Latur, and Dr Shashikant Dange, who was posted at a COVID-19 care centre.

The clip, now widely circulated on social media, is purportedly of the time during the COVID-19 crisis peak in 2021 when hospitals were crowded with patients and resources were scarce.

The patient, Kausar Fatima, wife of Dayami Ajimoddin Gaussoddin (53), had later recovered from the disease.

In the conversation, Dr Deshpande is allegedly heard saying: "Don't allow anyone to go inside, just kill that Dayami woman."