Assam: Mob beats doc, nurses after Covid patient dies

Hospital ransacked 24 held in Assam ■

Guwahati: In what has created anger in the doctor fraternity as well as civil society of the state, a mob brutally assaulted Seuj Kumar Senapati, a young doctor, and other staff of a Covid Care Centre at Udali in Assam’s Hojai district. The assault, recorded on a mobile phone, showing the young doctor being kicked and thrashed with brooms and utensils by the mob on Tuesday, went viral and triggered a sharp protest.

I am personally monitoring this investigation and I promise that justice will be served.

In what has created anger in the medical fraternity as well as civil society of the state, a mob brutally assaulted Seuj Kumar Senapati, a young doctor, and other staff of a Covid care centre at Udali in central Assam’s Hojai district.

The assault, recorded on a mobile phone showing the young doctor being kicked and thrashed with brooms and utensils by the mob on Tuesday afternoon, went viral and triggered a sharp protest from doctors and others.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who was in New Delhi in his angry reaction to the incident said, “Twentyfour culprits involved in this barbaric attack have been arrested and a chargesheet will be filed at the earliest. I am personally monitoring this investigation and I promise that justice will be served.”

The incident took place after Giyasuddin, a Covid patient from Udali area, died at the hospital on Tuesday.

According to a letter issued by the Hojai unit of Indian Medical Association (IMA) to the deputy

— Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam CM

commissioner of the district, the patient was admitted on Tuesday at 11 am and died three hours later at 2 pm.

The letter said that the mob damaged the building and also ransacked instruments at the centre besides “brutally assaulting” the doctor.

The IMA unit said that unless all the culprits involved in the attack are arrested by 7 am on Wednesday, all doctors of Hojai would boycott all out-patient duty (OPD) services.

It also asked the government to provide all hospitals and Covid centres with security cover, CCTV cameras and round the clock electricity.

“Instructions have been given to Hojai superintendent of police to arrest all persons involved in the assault,” the special director general of police G.P. Singh said.