Thousands of treatment seekers suffered as doctors in all government hospitals and health complexes in the district started a two-day work abstention yesterday, demanding punishment to a union parishad (UP) chairman who assaulted a doctor in Kishoreganj upazila health complex.

However, the doctors attended a good number of patients, especially those with emergency need, on humanitarian grounds.

Moklesur Rahman Birnan, chairman of Ranachandi UP of Kishoreganj upazila, slapped Dr Shamim Kabir, a medical officer of Kishoreganj upazila health complex, in presence of two leaders of district Awami League (AL) on Monday noon, said Dr Mujibul Hasan, general secretary of the district unit of Bangladesh MedicalAssociation (BMA).

Moklesur got furious as Dr Kabir declined to change the language of a medical certificate that he (Moklesur) thought would go against his friend Biplob Kumar Roy Dipu, chairman of adjacent Garagram UP, and an accused in a case for torturing two tender-aged boys, the BMA leader said.

Biplob was sued in a Nilphamari court on charge of torturing Harun, 8, son of Abdul Khaleque, and Awal, 9, son of Sekandar Ali, blaming them for stealing his

ducks on September 28, sources said.

The guardians of the two boys, who were treated at Kishoreganj upazila health complex, later filed a case accusing the chairman.

However, Biplob Kumar Roy at a press conference on Friday denied the allegations against him and termed the matter as a conspiracy by his rival chairman candidate Mosaddek Ali, also a leader of upazila BNP.

In connection with the case, Dr Shamim Kabir on Sunday issued a medical certificate, mentioning that there was an injury mark on the throat of one of the injured boys.

As lawyers of the accused UP chairman said the medical certificate would go against him, two top AL leaders from the district town along with Ranachandi UP Chairman Moklesur Rahman Biman and a few others went to Dr Shamim Kabir on the same night to pursue him to change the medical certificate, said local sources.

But Dr Kabir refused to comply with their request as the medical certificate was already recorded in the hospital register.

At this, Moklesur became furious and slapped the doctor in presence of the AL leaders.

In protest, district unit of BMA on Tuesday night sat at a meeting, announced a two-day work abstention and wore black badges.