Tuesday, August 9 2005 20:54 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: An Indian origin doctor in Britain was pelted with stones and verbally abused by a gang of youths in a racially motivated attack following the London bombings.

Yashen Maharaj, 28, who was attacked on July 23, had worked as part of Medway National Health Service Trust's stand-by team to treat victims of the July 7 London bombings.

"The doctor was verbally abused and more disturbingly had missiles, including large stones and rocks thrown at him, one of which hit the doctor on the back," a hospital spokeswoman told sources in London today (Aug 9, 2005).

Maharaj continued to attend his duties but declined to talks to newsmen.

The spokeswoman said, "Fortunately the Doctor was not seriously injured in the incident, but was extremely shaken and dismayed."

"The racial abuse from the youths was particularly disgusting, as it was aimed at the very people that, on the day of the bombings, were on standby as part of the Trust's London Emergency Planning procedure and could potentially have been needed to treat the very same victims from the bombings," she said.

"The Trust would like to make it very clear that it will not tolerate any racial abuse on any of its staff on or off the hospital premises, particularly in the tensions following recent terrorist events in London," she said.