New Delhi: Eighty-five-year-old Padma Shri awardee and former Banaras Hindu University (BHU) professor T.K. Lahiri was allegedly assaulted in the ICU of Sir Sunderlal Hospital on August 29, according to a complaint sent by a relative to the university administration. Lahiri, who has been admitted to the hospital since January, sustained injuries to his face, photographs of which have circulated on social media.
The allegation was made by a relative of Lahiri, who emailed the BHU vice-chancellor and senior officials on September 1, alleging that Lahiri had been slapped and punched by Dr Arvind Pandey. Pandey is a faculty member of the same department as TK Lahiri, which is the Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) at BHU.
The complaint said the attack was unprovoked and stopped only after a nursing assistant intervened. Photographs showing injuries to Lahiri’s face were attached to the complaint.
Pandey, however, denied assaulting Lahiri and said the injuries occurred during a struggle when he went to help clean him.
“Nothing of that sort happened. I went there to help him clean up. We cleaned his feces, but he refused to have it cleaned and became violent. He spat on my face as well. During this, he sustained those injuries. I did not slap him or injure him in any way,” Pandey told ThePrint.
An eyewitness also supported Pandey’s account, saying Lahiri sometimes becomes violent when hospital staff attempts to clean him.
“Dr. Lahiri gets extremely violent whenever we go to clean him. We clean his urine and feces, but he refuses. When Pandey came to reason with him, he started attacking him, and in that process he got injured,” the eyewitness said on condition of anonymity.
Complaint reaches BHU administration
In the email sent to the BHU administration on September 1, Lahiri’s relative said he had been under treatment in the Cardiothoracic Department of Sir Sunderlal Hospital because of his deteriorating health.
“It has come to my knowledge today at 8:10 a.m. that he was assaulted by Dr. Arvind Pandey, a faculty member of the same department. There was no provocation, and the attack was sudden, slapping and punching Dr. T.K. Lahiri and abusing him aloud, until one nursing assistant intervened and stopped the assault. This was witnessed by many staff present there. Photographs of the injuries are attached,” the email said.
The complaint has reached the vice-chancellor, and a medical board has been constituted to investigate the matter. The director of the department, Prof. Satya Narayan Sankhwar, and the medical superintendent also visited the ICU to inquire about Lahiri’s condition.
BHU denies allegations
The BHU administration denied that Lahiri had been assaulted. The university director told ThePrint that Lahiri has dementia and sometimes resists being examined or cleaned.
“Nothing of that sort happened. He is a respected doctor and personality. He has dementia, and sometimes he refuses to get checked or cleaned, and we all have seen such cases in our family as well. Sometimes in this process, he gets hit by the door or walls. No one misbehaved with him. He also threw the echo machine when the doctor went to check on him. We all met him, and he is fine,” the director said.
Lahiri has been admitted to BHU hospital’s ICU since January 27, 2026, and is undergoing treatment. According to his family, the alleged incident took place on the night of August 29 in the Cardiothoracic Department on the fifth floor of the Superspeciality Block.
Known as “Doctor God”, Lahiri retired from the Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU, in 2003. However, he continued to provide free medical consultation to his patients. According to reports, he has also donated a substantial part of his pension to charitable causes. Known for his philanthropic work and contribution to society, he was awarded the Padma Shri award in 2006.
Edited by Maryam Hassan