After Hojai Doctor Assault Case, A Hailakandi Doctor Beaten Up, Two Arrested

Silchar: After the brutal attack on Dr Seuj Senapati of Udali COVID-19 Care Centre in Hojai district of central Assam, another such incident has come up from Hailakandi in which police has arrested two persons, including a woman, on Friday. The two have been arrested for allegedly assaulting a government doctor on duty at the S K Roy Civil Hospital in Hailakandi district recently.

Hailakandi Superintendent of police Ramandeep Kaur said that the arrested woman tested COVID-19 positive and has been admitted to the COVID ward of the hospital.

As per the sources, the arrested people have been identified as Rumpi Malakar and Himangshu Malakar, relatives of a patient brought to the hospital in a serious condition on May 27 who later died, after which both of them along with other relatives assaulted the Medical Officer Dr Gaurav Bhattacharjee.

Dr Bhattacharjee said, "The patient had severe breathing issues. He died within a few minutes of reaching the hospital. We could not even start the treatment." The young doctor said that it was his job to declare the patient dead.

"But they started shouting at me and some family members started beating me. I was saved by my colleagues but no immediate action was taken against the culprits by the police. Not only me, but my colleagues are also afraid of going to hospitals because at any moment we can face such assaults," Dr Bhattacharjee added.

While asking about the week-long gap between the incident and the arrest, the police had received a complaint from Dr Bhattacharjee's mother.

"But the problem was that the doctor could not identify the culprits. He was also hesitant to lodge a complaint initially and they came to the police station a day after the incident. Now the accused have been arrested and we are also working on increasing security arrangements inside all the health centres in the district," she said.

Hailakandi Superintendent Kaur said that the doctor had later filed an FIR with Hailakandi Sadar Police Station and the police following investigations arrested the two. She said that a case numbered 448/21 has been registered in Hailakandi Sadar Police Station under section 294, 323, 353, 506 and 34 IPC.

Dr Sudip Chakraborty, superintendent of Hailakandi Civil Hospital, said, "In this pandemic, doctors and health workers are risking their lives but it seems people do not try to understand this. We are not happy and convinced with the way the administration and police are dealing with the case. After my son was assaulted, we lodged a complaint in the local police station. I requested the police to ensure the security of my son and other doctors when they work in government health centres. But it took seven days to arrest the accused who were living not far from the police station. I'm still afraid to send my son to duty."

"We want more security arrangements inside our hospital so that doctors and health workers feel safe while working. We are also planning to install CCTV cameras at the Civil Hospital," he added.

Also Read: Assam Doctor Assault Case: Total 28 People Arrested

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