A doctor has been booked and penalised for obstructing the passage of an ambulance while it was on its way to a hospital with a patient in Kerala’s Kannur district, police said on Saturday.

The incident alleged to have happened at Eranholi in Thalassery on Thursday evening and it’s visuals were telecast by television channels later.

According to police, a car obstructed the passage of an ambulance when it was proceeding with a critical patient on Nayanar road here.

Police identified the driver of the car as Rahul Raj, a doctor who runs a private clinic in nearby Iritty.

The ambulance driver alleged that despite repeated sirens, the car driver didn’t give space for the ambulance to proceed.

Based on his complaint, Kathirur police registered a case against the doctor under various sections of the BNS including for blocking the path and obstructing the emergency vehicle, a police officer said.

The Motor Vehicle Department also imposed him a fine of Rs 5,000 for the same charges, the officer said.

The doctor, however, claimed that he got panicked on hearing the siren of the ambulance and he gave space for it to proceed as soon as it was possible for him, sources said.