Jalandhar's prominent doctor Dr. Balraj Gupta has landed in trouble after an FIR was lodged against him on November 3 for conducting sex determination tests at his hospital here. Notably, gender determination tests are considered illicit in India and Dr. Gupta has violated the PCPNDT Act.
Reportedly, on November 3, a Mission Discovery agency team of the state government, comprising mission director and field officers, raided the Ratan Hospital followed by a sting operation. The agency sent a pregnant woman to the hospital and directed her to get gender determination tests done.
Later, the pregnant woman indulged in talks with an intermediator named Poonam, who works for the hospital. Poonam got this deal fixed for Rs 25000.
According to the vernacular Hindi daily, Dr. Balraj Gupta was allegedly attacked by the agency members during the investigation. Following this, a doctor of the hospital called the DG rank officials to take cognizance of the matter. At around 4 pm, the hospital administration called the police of division number 4 who took agency member Vishal Puri and two women to the police station.
Divulging the details of the raid, Mr. Puri on behalf of the agency presented the documents and authority letter issued by the Health Minister of the state.
However, ACP Satinder Chadha said that arrest would be made in the case only after investigation. Meanwhile, the team of the health department has confiscated the ultrasound machine of Ratan Hospital.
Going by the reports, the team of Mission Discovery Detective Agency had been planning to carry out a sting for the last three months with Poonam. When the pregnant woman reached the hospital on Tuesday, the agency completed the sting via tracing GPS location.
Dr Balraj Gupta was booked under Sections 420 and120B of the IPC and Sections 3, 4, 18 and 23 of the PCPNDT Act, said SHO Rashpal Singh.