Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian, on Wednesday, November 13, mistakenly claimed that “four North Indians” were behind an attack on an oncologist at the Guindy Multi-Speciality Hospital in Chennai. He said this during a press meet after oncologist Dr Balaji Jaganathan was stabbed six times by a man posing as a patient. However, he later apologised for making a misinformed statement.

“They told me just now. Around four north Indians came to the hospital for treatment and attacked the doctor after locking him up in a room. Police have arrested two people; the police department will take immediate action and arrest the rest of them and take appropriate legal action,” he said initially. After visiting the hospital, he found that it was not north Indians but the accused is suspected to be the son of a former cancer patient treated by Dr Balaji.

The Minister later clarified that it was Vigneshwaran from Perungulathur and that he has been taken into custody. He added that he was in Pallikaranai when the incident took place, and the hospital director told him that north Indians were involved in the attack. He also said that Vigneshwaran believed that the wrong chemotherapy treatment was given to his mother and attacked the doctor.

According to Dr Balaji's colleague, he suffers from multiple health issues, including heart and blood-related ailments, and had previously undergone major surgery for an aortic valve replacement and has a pacemaker fitted.