Draft:Death of Dr.Sudhakar Reddy

Dr. Sudhakar was a government doctor working as an anesthesiologist at Narsipatnam government hospital located in Andhra Pradesh, India. He came to prominence when a video of him criticizing the state government for not providing adequate safety gear to doctors and medical staff during the first wave of COVID-19 went viral. He further gained national attention following a controversial incident in May 2020 when footage emerged of him being tied and dragged by police, drawing criticism on police excess. He eventually died of a cardiac arrest in 2021

Original Incident and Viral Video
In a video recorded in April 2020, Dr.Sudhakar hit the headlines for criticising the Andhra Pradesh government before the media, alleging that it had failed to provide sufficient N-95 masks and the PPEs for health care personnel. "We will die. Why won't there be positive cases (among medical staff)? They are not giving minimum importance to the medical department," he said in the video.

Suspension and Arrest
Following the incident, Dr. Sudhakar was reportedly suspended from his duties by the Andhra Pradesh government. On May 17 2020, he was detained by the police who alleged him of creating nuisance on a main road in Visakhapatnam. A shirtless Sudhakar stopped vehicles on the road in Akkayyapalem and created a ruckus using abusive words against Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy The he manner in which the police detained him, initially by physically assaulting and tying his arms and finally dragging him into an auto-rickshaw before taking him into custody was severely criticized. On 22nd May, the Andhra Pradesh High Court ordered a CBI probe into the usage of excessive force during the arrest and book cases against Visakhapatnam police officers responsible for the act.

Thereafter, while undergoing treatment at King George Hospital for his injuries, he was also sent to Government Hospital for Mental Care for treatment and assessment of his mental health. The police and the doctors at King George Hospital in Vizag declared him mentally disturbed. Sudhakar asserted that he was normal. He also wrote to the mental health hospital superintendent that he was being given wrong medication which was resulting in serious side effects.

Twenty one days after being detained in the government hospital, he was allowed to leave after the Andhra Pradesh High Court granted him permission to leave in response to habeas corpus motion filed by his mother Kaveri Bai challenging his illegal detention.

Death
According to his family members, the doctor had just recovered from COVID-19 and was recuperating at his home at Seethammadhara when he reportedly died of a cardiac arrest on May 21, 2021

His family members said that the doctor was depressed over the last few days, as the final judgement of his case that was scheduled to be pronounced in April last week, had been postponed. He was hopeful of being reinstated, after the recent departmental inquiry, they said