Nagpur: ten ambulances vandalised at Mayo Hospital after Rs 3,000 demand dispute

Rival groups of private ambulance operators allegedly clashed inside the Mayo Hospital campus in Nagpur, and attackers smashed the windows of nearly 10 ambulances late at night, according to a Nagpur Today report.

The violence reportedly followed a dispute over an alleged demand of Rs 3,000 from an ambulance driver for allowing him to operate his vehicle within the hospital premises. Other ambulance drivers present opposed the demand, and the argument escalated. Later that night, the accused allegedly returned armed with baseball bats, hockey sticks and iron rods, apparently in retaliation for an earlier altercation during the day.

Tehsil police have registered a case against three accused. One has been detained, while two are absconding, the report says. Police have reportedly found that all three have previous criminal records. Investigators are examining the sequence of events, the alleged extortion demand and the rivalry between the operators, and whether anyone else was involved.

The report also notes that allegations have repeatedly surfaced about some private ambulance operators and middlemen around the hospital approaching patients and relatives to shift them to private hospitals.

Why it matters for ambulance owners and drivers

• The incident shows the risk to vehicles and drivers where operators compete for patients at hospital campuses.
• Drivers who face demands for money to operate at a hospital can report them to the police, as the complainant in this case did.