The National Medical Commission came under attack from the Indian Medical Association Kerala unit on Thursday over its logo depicting a Hindu deity, even as the central agency stated that Lord Dhanvantari had been its emblem for the past year.
According to Hindu mythology, Lord Dhanvantari is the physician of the Gods.
Dr Sulphi Noohu, IMA Kerala president,said that a secular message and way of thinking would have been more appropriate and acceptable in the NMC's logo.
In a Facebook post, the doctor, known for his secular views, stated that the national leadership of the IMA would raise a strong protest against the logo change.
Noohu in his post has included images of the current logo of the NMC and a purported earlier one which carries the National emblem (an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka).
In response to IMA Kerala's allegations, Dr Yogendra Malik, Member of the Ethics and Medical Registration Board of NMC, said that in the earlier NMC logo, "the depiction of the image of the Hindu deity Dhanvantari was in black and white, and when taking printouts, it was not clear."
"Now it's in colour, and that's the only difference. The National emblem was never the logo of NMC," he clarified. -- PTI