Doctor on Covid-19 duty allegedly assaulted by IRB patrol party in Dimapur

Guwahati: A doctor on Covid-19 duty was physically assaulted by an IRB patrol party at Dhobinala, Dimapur, thereby becoming the latest medical personnel to be attacked during the pandemic.

Dr. Atoka Wotsa, a Pathologist who was on active COVID-19 duty in charge of the COVID Care Centre in Chumukedima was punched and hit with a stick by IRB personnel on patrol duty, reports said.

As per reports, the incident took place around 10 p.m. on Friday when the doctor was on his way back to Hotel Saramati after picking up a fresh set of clothes from his home.

Doctors on active COVID duty are being lodged at various hotels in Dimapur in keeping with the Standard Operating Procedure of the Government for frontline workers. They are permitted to pick up essentials from home once a week.

Following the incident, the COVID Care Centre Chumukedima was shut down this morning. A public notice outside the Centre stated that the CCC would not be functioning temporarily till the IRB gives an explanation regarding the assault on the doctor of the Centre.

According to Dr. Atoka Wotsa, he was allegedly forced to stop his car near the Faith Hospital junction (Dhobinala) as another car was parked in the middle of the road with its doors open. The driver of the other car was standing right beside his car, and another four persons were inside the car.

When the doctor honked the horn of his car to move from there, they refused to move. Dr Wotsa got off his car and helped the driver to his seat. The inmates of the car were reportedly in an inebriated state, and they started verbally abusing the doctor. The doctor picked up a stick for self-protection as the five men were turning aggressive. At that time the IRB patrol party arrived at the scene.

The doctor's relief on the arrival of the IRB team turned to distress as one of the IRB jawans started abusing the doctor while he was narrating the sequence of events that led to him to confront the occupants of the other car.

According to the statements given by the doctor he said that one IRB jawan picked up the stick which the doctor had let go after the arrival of the patrol party, and asked him if he had a "license for the stick." The doctor clarified that he had picked up the stick in self-defence against five men who were in an inebriated condition and behaving aggressively, and he was the victim in the whole incident.

Suddenly, an IRB jawan grabbed him by the neck and others punched and hit him with the stick. At that point of time, Dr. Wotsa's brother, who is also a doctor on COVID-19 duty, arrived at the scene and intervened. They asked the IRB personnel to take them to the nearest police station. The IRB jawans claimed that no one would be taken to the Police Station and that they were the law on the road.

Later, one IRB jawan raised the stick to hit the duo but they dodged the blow and the stick hit the doctor's car, damaging it. Around 15 staff from Faith Hospital, owned by Dr. Wotsa's father, reached the area and intervened.

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