Upset over the alleged breach of protocol during a hospital visit, Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjeev Kumar Gond has directed the chief medical officer of Sonbhadra to transfer the superintendent of the facility to another location.
Gond, who represents the Obra Assembly constituency in Sonbhadra district, an ST reserved seat, is the minister of state for social welfare in the Uttar Pradesh government.
According to officials, Gond visited the joint district hospital in Dibulganj on Wednesday to inaugurate a solar power plant.
During his visit, Gond reportedly noticed that while his supporters were greeting him, the hospital's medical superintendent, Ravi Pratap Singh, stood silently in the background wearing a face mask.
"I couldn't recognise who the doctor was. Later at the inauguration site, the doctor approached me and said, 'minister sir, you didn't meet me'. I told him it was his duty to step forward and greet me as per the protocol," Gond told reporters.
Gond also alleged that locals and party workers had complained to him that the official was frequently found under the influence of alcohol while on duty.
"Action will be taken against such a doctor," he said.
Confirming that the minister called him on Wednesday, chief medical officer Ashwini Kumar said, "That's when I learnt that the superintendent of Dibulganj hospital did not follow protocol. I have ordered an inquiry into the matter by a senior official. Strict disciplinary action will be taken against the guilty."