When contacted telephonically by a delegation of journalists allied to various newspapers on Sunday, Bhatt said an inquiry had been ordered and would be conducted by Additional Health Secretary Suresh Shah.

According to the Raopura police, a section of journalists had complained late on Saturday night that they had been beaten up by a group of resident doctors of Sir Sayajirao General Hospital when they objected to their ``lethargy'' in treating an employee of a local vernacular newspaper.

The doctors, who also lodged a complaint with the same police, however, alleged that the journalists had sought ``special treatment'' and had been ``high-handed'' in their behaviour.

Anil Devpurkar, resident editor of the Gujarat Mitra told Express Newsline that he was among those assaulted by the doctors while he was complaining about the doctors' ``lethargy'' towards all patients in a critical state to Bhatt over the telephone on Saturday night.

Junior Doctors' Association president and vice-president Dhaval Mehta and Mehul Desai and hospital medical superintendent Kirit Sheth said that they were sorry to learn about the incident.

However, doctors involved in the clash, on condition of anonymity, showed hospital documents that the injured person Nathulal, a peon in Gujarat Mitra had been given the best possible treatment by 8.30 p.m., despite the fact that his operation had been scheduled for 11 p.m. because of the pre-OT arrangements.

``It was in the meantime, that the journalists indulged in high-handedness'', one of them alleged.

District Collector Anil Mukim, who visited the site of the spat last night, assured journalists that ``justice would be done within the next few days''.