IMA gives 48-hr ultimatum for kidnapped doc couple's rescue

Bihar unit of Indian Medical Association today gave a 48-hour ultimatum to the state government to rescue the doctor couple, missing since Friday, and threatened a strike across the state even as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visited the couple's residence at Gaya.
IMA working president Shahjanand Singh told PTI that the association today met to protest alleged kidnapping of doctor Pankaj Gupta and his wife and resolved to hold a street march in Gaya tomorrow.
On the expiry of deadline, IMA would hold another meeting for taking a decision to strike work across the state against the abduction and lodge protest against the bad law and order affecting medical practitioners, Singh said.

Meanwhile, a report coming from Gaya said that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today visited home of the doctors and told the family that the state government was doing its best to recover the couple.
Inspector General of Police (CID) Vinay Kumar hinted at involvement of inter-state criminals and said 10 teams have been constituted to solve the case.
Kumar said search teams have gone to Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand in addition to search operations in Bihar. The couple was allegedly kidnapped on way home from a marriage reception at Giridih in neighbouring Jharkhand.

Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi also paid a visit to the doctor family in Gaya and targetted the Nitish Kumar government.

"This is for the first time in Bihar that a doctor couple has been kidnapped," Sushil Modi told reporters in Gaya.
He alleged that eversince Nitish Kumar joined hands with Lalu Prasad's RJD, the state has slipped into "jungle raj" that prevailed during the 15 years of RJD rule in the state from 1990 to 2005.
"An environment of fear is prevailing in Bihar the day Nitish Kumar joined hands with Lalu Prasad...This is start of 'jungle raj 2' in the state," Sushil Modi commented.