Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Wednesday (November 13) wrongly claimed that “four North Indians” were behind an attack on an oncologist at Guindy Specialty Hospital in Chennai. He said this during a press meet after oncologist Balaji Jaganathan was stabbed six times by a man posing as a patient. However, he later apologized for making the wrong statement.

“They told me just now. About four North Indians came to the hospital for treatment and attacked the doctor after locking him in a room. Police arrested two people; The police department will take immediate action and arrest the others and take appropriate legal action,” he initially said. After visiting the hospital, he found that they were not North Indians, but the accused is suspected to be the son of a former cancer patient treated by Dr. Jaganathan.

The minister later clarified that it was Vigneshwaran from Perungulathur and that he was taken into custody. He also added that he was in Pallikaranai when the incident took place and was informed by the hospital director that North Indians were involved in the attack. He also said that Vigneshwaran believed that his mother was given the wrong chemotherapy treatment and therefore attacked the doctor.

According to Dr. Jaganathan’s colleague, he suffers from multiple health problems, including heart and blood diseases, and has previously undergone major aortic valve replacement surgery and has a pacemaker.