Bangalore’s jailhouse Doc. A Dowry Law victim
Posted by 498A_Crusader on June 3, 2007
BANGALORE: When Dr M Basavaraj finishes surgery, he walks back to his cell in the central prison, Parapana Agrahara. The 100-bed prison hospital had been without a surgeon for many years. Their search ended when the doctor came in to serve his seven-year sentence for dowry harassment.
Now, clad in the inmate’s white-kurta-pyjama, Basavaraj looks like any other prisoner. But, every morning or whenever there’s a medical emergency, his cell doors are thrown open and he rushes to the hospital. In the past two years, he’s performed 200 surgeries. He is also the “unappointed” prison surgeon and doubles as the ‘night doctor on call’ as four physicians employed in the hospital leave at dusk. In 2005, 13 years after his wife committed suicide, the doctor, who’s worked at several government hospitals in Karnataka, as well as in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi and Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai, was jailed in this prison, near Bangalore.
“After 6 pm, the doors of my barracks open whenever there is a medical emergency. I do my best to help people around with the little facilities here,” says the surgeon who has expertise in minimal access (keyhole) surgery. He has kept the minor operation theatre busy with removal of tumours, sutures and some infectious swellings as well. “Many times I have asked the authorities to rush them to another hospital as there aren’t enough facilities here to handle emergencies such as heart or brain attacks,” he said. “With little more equipment and back-up systems, a good theatre can handle more minor surgeries like appendicitis and hernia. The jail authorities have promised them,” says Basavaraj.
DIG (Prison) B S Abbai is not sure if permission would come for better facilities but he knows when Basavaraj completes his term he would have offers from leading hospitals. “I help him get the latest updates in surgery through medical journals and books. The rules don’t permit us to let him browse the internet. He learns about the books from his friends and places orders,” he said.
Jail psychiatrist Dr P Rajani says: “Two years ago, Dr Basavaraj was shattered. He thought his career was ruined and his future was bleak. Today, he seems more confident.” Basavaraj agrees. “When I walk out I’ll get back to the hospitals that I worked for. But, even then I would continue my service to this place. For me, this place is something special.”
