One look at Prashant Kumar Dhanak and one would easily be able to guess what he does for a living. His tight-fitted shirt almost makes him look like the neighbourhood’s Salman Khan. The 25-year-old from Delhi’s Sadar Bazar is a bouncer who works at a popular club in West Delhi. Along with it, he stands guard at New Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia hospital.
Dhanak became a professional bouncer when he was just 19 years old and started working as a bouncer in a Delhi pub. Two years ago, he joined the hospital to earn a bit extra on the side. “After I passed class X, people suggested that I should start working as a bouncer since I was fit and liked to work out. I wasn’t really interested in studying further, so I went ahead with the idea. I gave an interview at a club and got selected,” he said.
Most of the government-run hospitals in Delhi have now hired full-time bouncers to prevent the attacks on doctors by irate attendants of patients. Dhanak is a part of the 19-member team of brawny and well-built men who are responsible for the safety and security of doctors.
Over the years, hospitals in Delhi as well as across India, have witnessed a string of attacks on doctors. A survey conducted by Maulana Azad Medical College in 2017 revealed that nearly one in every two doctors suffers from violence at public hospitals.
As per a DNA report, there have been over 35 strikes by doctors in Delhi hospitals that took place due to lack of security at the hospitals. Bouncers are thus hired so as to avoid such situations and to make sure there is no hindrance to medical services.
Credit: InUth
“We are given a special training on how to deal with the attendants of the patients. In MLC (medico-legal certificate) cases, especially in the ones that involve fights, there are about 10-15 attendants with a single patient. They often get aggressive towards the doctors with regard to the treatment. We have been trained how to tackle these attendants and take them out of the hospital premises,” he said, adding that they only tackle the attendants and not the patient.
Born into a family of pehelwans (body builders), Dhanak started going to an akhara in Old Delhi at a very young age. But of late, he claims his workout hasn’t been regular which is why he has put on weight. “I got married last December. Since then, I have been missing my workout sessions,” he says with a grin.
Being a bouncer is fraught with obvious risks. He claims he has been attacked at least twenty times by attendants on different occasions. He narrated how he once had to take on a group of ruffians who had assaulted a woman inside the hospital premises. “The guy was well-built and strong. When he saw me, he grabbed my collar and began hitting me. One would feel humiliated when someone grabs your collar in public. When I retaliated, his friends joined and began to collectively attack me. But after some security guards and cops intervened, the matter was sorted,” he said. The attack left him wounded and his clothes were torn.
Prashant Kumar Dhanak with his team members | Source: InUth
“This happens in bars and clubs as well. There are times when guys wait for us outside after an argument inside the bar. In such cases, we also have to get our own friends for ‘compromise’ and not to fight. In the end, all fights and disputes are sorted through a compromise,” he said.
Despite all the threats, he is proud of what he does. “A bouncer/pehelwan enjoys a respectable image in the society. You saw how everyone in my locality knows me well,” he proudly said.
When asked how long he plans to work as a bouncer, Dhanak says, “I will hopefully earn enough to set up some business someday. Till then, I will continue doing it till my body allows me to continue,” he said.
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