“Just Kill That Woman”: 2021 Video of Covid Patient’s Treatment Surfaces
The husband of the patient informed that hearing the same horrific comments once more wounded him severely and insulted his religious feelings.
Latur:
Police have filed an FIR against a top doctor of a government hospital in Maharashtra’s Latur district for allegedly telling a junior colleague to “kill” a COVID-19 patient in 2021, officials said on Thursday.
A recently leaked audio clip on social media of the alleged exchange between the accused, Dr Shashikant Deshpande, then additional district surgeon at Udgir Government Hospital in Latur, and Dr Shashikant Dange, who was serving at a COVID-19 care facility.
The video, now widely shared on social media, is claimed to be of the period during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 when hospitals were filled with patients and resources were limited.
Patient Kausar Fatima, wife of Dayami Ajimoddin Gaussoddin (53), had since recovered from the illness.
During the conversation, Dr Deshpande is reportedly heard uttering: “Don’t let anyone enter, just kill that Dayami woman.” To this, Dr Dange replies in a guarded manner, indicating that oxygen assistance had already been cut back.
On the basis of a complaint by Gaussoddin, the city police of Udgir filed a case against Deshpande on May 24 under legal provisions for malicious and willful acts intended to outrage religious feelings and other offenses.
Police have confiscated Deshpande’s mobile phone, served a notice to him and his statement was being recorded, inspector Dilip Gade informed PTI.
He also stated that the police were checking the authenticity of the audio clip.
The police have served a notice on Dr Dange as well. “He is out of district and will report tomorrow. We will then seize his mobile phone and hold an inquiry,” Gade said.
According to the FIR, the complainant informed that in 2021 when the pandemic took place, his wife Kausar Fatima (age 41 at that time) contracted COVID-19.
She was admitted as an inpatient at the Udgir government hospital on April 15, 2021, and COVID-19 care was being offered in a building facing an eye hospital on Nanded Road, under the hospital’s management. Dr Dange was attending to COVID-19 patients at that facility.
The woman was admitted there for 10 days. On the seventh day of her admission, she was sitting next to Dr Dange when he was having lunch.
Dr Dange, at that time, put the phone on speaker and took up a conversation with Dr Deshpande on hospital issues.
In the course of the conversation, Dr Deshpande asked about the availability of beds.
When he was told by Dr Dange that there were no beds free, the man said he had clearly heard Dr Deshpande tell him, “Kill the Dayami patient. You’re accustomed to handling such people.” He also apparently used a casteist slur in the course of the conversation, according to the man’s complaint.
The man claimed to have been shocked, but decided not to say anything at the time because his wife was under treatment. His wife had recovered a few days later and was discharged.
On May 2, 2025, though, the audio recording of the alleged conversation was released on social media.
The man alleged that hearing the same offensive remarks again hurt him very deeply and insulted his religious feelings, particularly the purported use of insulting caste-based comments, and after which he filed the police complaint.
