Bengaluru, 17 June

A surgeon at a government hospital in Gudibande in Chikkaballapura district has been suspended pending an inquiry following bribery allegations.

The action comes after a video aired on a television news channel on 11 June, purportedly showed Dr Narasimhamurthy demanding and accepting money from patients in exchange for performing surgeries.

The footage has sparked public outrage and brought considerable embarrassment to the department.

According to officials, Narasimhamurthy had been serving as the in-charge Taluk Health Officer since August 2019.

In response to the video, the District Health Officer of Chikkaballapur submitted a preliminary report recommending a departmental inquiry.

A fact-finding team was constituted, which found prima facie evidence supporting the allegations.

Based on the findings, the government has invoked Rule 10(3) of the Karnataka Civil Services (Classification, Control, and Appeal) Rules, 1957, to suspend Narasimhamurthy with immediate effect.