Story perspectives

CMO Orders Action After Video of Dalit Roadside Birth

By Drooid · Oct 3, 2026, 10:32 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Uttar Pradesh health officials dismissed emergency-duty doctor after a Dalit woman delivered on a roadside.
Staff cited her 5 g/dL hemoglobin as reason for referral to a higher-level facility.
Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak ordered an inquiry after the video spread online.
Panel recommended dismissing Dr Pankaj Kumar, transferring nurse Neelam Maurya, and withholding Dr Mukesh Prajapati’s salary.
CMO Santosh Kumar Chak denied caste discrimination, saying referral was solely due to low hemoglobin.

History

Historical Context

The 1992 Supreme Court verdict in Indra Sawhney upheld the Constitution’s 50 percent reservation ceiling, confirming the earlier 15 percent quota for Scheduled Castes and the 27 percent OBC share recommended by the 1980 Mandal Commission. Uttar Pradesh’s Dalit seats in medical colleges now face Brajesh Pathak’s probe, while Mayawati presses for strict enforcement of the Sawhney principles.

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Story summary

Uttar Pradesh health officials dismissed emergency-duty doctor after a Dalit woman delivered on a roadside.
Staff cited her 5 g/dL hemoglobin as reason for referral to a higher-level facility.
Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak ordered an inquiry after the video spread online.
Panel recommended dismissing Dr Pankaj Kumar, transferring nurse Neelam Maurya, and withholding Dr Mukesh Prajapati’s salary.
CMO Santosh Kumar Chak denied caste discrimination, saying referral was solely due to low hemoglobin.

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