Doctor booked for 'teaching' child to smoke cigarette in UP's Jalaun

Jalaun (UP) | An FIR has been registered against a government doctor for allegedly teaching a small boy how to smoke a cigarette supposedly as a treatment for a cold, an official said on Thursday.

A shocking video of Dr Suresh Chandra posted at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Kuthand purportedly showed him putting a cigarette in the mouth of the boy, aged around five years. He lights up the cigarette with the help of a lighter and repeatedly asks the boy to inhale, not exhale.

The doctor even admonishes the boy for failing to inhale. He takes out the cigarette from the boy's mouth and demonstrates how to smoke.

Dr Chandra puts the cigarette again in the boy's mouth, lights it up and asks him to take drags. When the boy is not able to follow him, he says, "'Bas aaj ki training itni hai, ab agli baar, kal aana phir sikhayenge' (Today's training is this much, now next time; come tomorrow and will teach you again)."

The FIR was registered on the complaint by Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Narendra Dev Sharma under BNS section 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) at Kuthaund police station, SHO Brahma Prakash Tiwari said.

However, Dr Chandra denied the allegations against him and said the cigarette was of chocolate and the video was made by the staff.

Dr Chandra was transferred to the district headquarters after the video went viral. A probe was ordered against him by the CMO on March 28, Sharma said.

The video made rounds on social media and attracted widespread denunciation.

Additional CMO Dr S D Chaudhary is heading the probe panel and a detailed report will be submitted to the state government, Sharma said.

Dr Chandra said staff members also reside in the Kuthaund PHC and the boy was the son of a nurse. They used to visit his residence, he said.

"The video is over a year old when a chocolate cigarette was given to the child," he said, adding that the CMO wanted to give charge of the PHC to his junior and, therefore, made several allegations against him.

He alleged that the CMO got the video to go viral.