Sabi "Doc" Kumar

American surgeon and politician

Sabi "Doc" Kumar


Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 66th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 13, 2015
Preceded by	Joshua Evans

Personal details
Born	(1947-07-14) July 14, 1947 (age 76) British India
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Linda
Children	1
Residence	Springfield, Tennessee
Alma mater	University of Miami
Occupation	Politician and surgeon

Sarbjeet S. Kumar (born July 14, 1947) is an Indian-American politician and physician. A Republican, Kumar has represented the 66th district in the Tennessee House of Representatives since 2015. He chairs the House Insurance Committee.

Kumar ran as a pledged delegate for Nikki Haley in the 2024 Tennessee Republican presidential primary.^[1]

Medical career

Kumar immigrated to the United States from India in 1970, working in Miami, Florida from 1971 to 1977. In 1977, he moved to Springfield, Tennessee, where he continued his career as a surgeon.^[2]

Kumar holds the patent for a clamp device, sometimes called the "Kumar clamp", used in gallbladder surgeries.^[3]

Political career

In 2014, Kumar ran for the Tennessee House of Representatives' 66th district after incumbent Representative Joshua Evans decided to run for the Tennessee Senate. Kumar won the Republican primary on August 7, 2014, with 43% of the vote.^[4] On November 4, 2014, Kumar won the General Election unopposed.^[5] Kumar was re-elected in 2016, 2018, 2020, and recently in 2022. His current term ends on November 5, 2024.

In 2023, Kumar supported a resolution to expel three Democratic lawmakers from the legislature for violating decorum rules during a pro-gun control protest in the State Capitol Building. The expulsion was widely characterized as unprecedented.^[6]^[7] Prior to his expulsion vote, Justin Jones accused Kumar of putting a "brown face to white supremacy;" Kumar also stated that Jones had pointed in his face and told him, "Kumar, they will never accept you."^[8]

Committees

In the 2015 legislative session, Rep. Kumar did not serve on any committees.

In the 2017 legislative session, Rep. Kumar served on the following committees: Education Instruction and Programs and Health (vice chair).

In the 2019–2020 legislative session, Rep. Kumar served on the following committees: Finance, Ways, and Means Committee and the Health Committee.

In the 2021–2022 legislative session, Rep. Kumar served on the following committees: Calendar and Rules Committee, Health Committee, and the Insurance Committee (chair).

Personal life

Kumar lives in Springfield, Tennessee, with his wife Linda, and has a daughter named Nina. He works at the NorthCrest Medical Center.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ "Sabi 'Doc' Kumar Committed to Nikki Haley" (PDF).
^ "About". SabiKumar.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
^ US patent 5224931, "Method and device for performing cholangiography", published 1993-07-06
^ "State of Tennessee, August 7, 2014, Republican Primary" (PDF). Retrieved May 3, 2019.
^ "State of Tennessee, November 4, 2014, State General" (PDF). Retrieved May 3, 2019.
^ Andone, Dakin; Young, Ryan; Simonson, Amy; Almasy, Steve. "Tennessee's Republican-led House expels 2 Democratic lawmakers over gun reform protest, fails in bid to oust a third". CNN. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
^ "Tennessee's House expels 2 of 3 Democrats over guns protest". AP NEWS. April 6, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
^ "Tennessee Republican called 'brown face of White supremacy' by expelled Rep. Justin Jones". Fox News. April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.