“ham parvarish-e-lauh-o-qalam karte raheñge
jo dil pe guzartī hai raqam karte raheñge.”
These lines were posted by social activist Owais Choudhary on social media on June 5, moments after walking out of jail. The post was accompanied by a video showing him emerging from detention, a symbolic return after being held for livestreaming alleged lapses in Sub District Hospital (SDH) Bhaderwah during the MLA’s official visit on June 3.
Choudhary’s arrest has ignited a fierce debate in the Chenab Valley. His livestream, which went viral the same day, showed empty doctors’ chairs and alleged absence of gynaecologists and other specialists even as local patients waited unattended. The video was aimed at highlighting the gap between administrative visits and on-ground realities in Bhaderwah’s struggling healthcare setup — one that residents have long expressed frustration over.
The activist specifically pointed to the unavailability of doctors, including specialists for dozens of dialysis patients, and the lack of critical diagnostic infrastructure such as MRI, CT scan, and ultrasound facilities. In a conversation with The Chenab Times, Choudhary claimed that he had been pressured to delete his past videos, including one that raised the issue of a non-functional Jan Aushadhi Kendra — a government scheme meant to provide affordable medicines — which he alleged had been inactive for over three months.
The fallout of the livestream was swift. He was detained under unclear circumstances. A police official told The Chenab Times that the issue appeared to stem not from hate speech but from a threatening complaint, potentially tied to a lady doctor’s grievance. However, the official emphasized that “Tehsildar granted the release; we didn’t let him go,” adding ambiguity to the legal clarity of the case. Repeated calls to Tehsildar Bhaderwah by The Chenab Times went unanswered until the time of publication.
On the political front, BJP leader Nasir Qayoom defended the hospital staff in a press conference on June 3, stating that Choudhary had “misguided the public” and “targeted a Hindu lady doctor”, while all doctors were reportedly accompanying the MLA during his visit to the hospital. Qayoom urged the administration and public to keep such individuals “in check” to preserve communal harmony and prevent disruptions in healthcare delivery. His statement, however, faced sharp criticism on social media.
In response to his comments, users accused Qayoom of communalizing the issue and called attention instead to legitimate healthcare failings. A user, Rafiq Wani, wrote, “Don’t lie. That doctor is seen more at her clinic than in the hospital. Hindu-Muslim has nothing to do with this.” Another, Adil Farooq, commented, “This isn’t about religion. I’ve visited the hospital four times last week; the gynaecologist was never there. We need an anaesthetist too. Why not raise that issue?”
Interestingly, just two days later, on June 5, an official order dated June 3 by the Directorate of Health Services, Jammu surfaced, confirming the posting of an anaesthetist to SDH Bhaderwah — an issue that NGO Youth Action Committee had also highlighted on May 29, alongside similar concerns earlier raised by Owais Choudhary.
Support for Choudhary has since grown. Burhan Dar, a young activist from Kishtwar, publicly condemned the arrest in a statement shared widely on social media:
“Raising concerns about poor healthcare is a civic duty, not a crime… We condemn this act of silencing a voice for change and demand Owais’s immediate release. Let’s unite for better healthcare and protect our right to speak up.”
The unfolding events point to a broader pattern: growing civil activism in semi-urban regions like Bhaderwah is confronting the discomfort of entrenched political structures, where raising questions — particularly through modern platforms like livestreams — can be treated as dissent rather than democratic expression.
As of June 7, Owais Choudhary is out of jail, but the questions he raised remain unanswered. With an anaesthetist finally posted, at least one demand seems to have been acted upon. But for Bhaderwah’s patients waiting for diagnostic care, and for activists speaking truth to power, the diagnosis is still incomplete.
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Anzer Ayoob is the Founder and Chief Editor to The Chenab Times
