Doctor in Assam Covid care centre attacked after patient's death; 24 arrested

A young doctor doing duty in a Covid care centre in central Assam's Hojai district was allegedly assaulted on Tuesday following the death of a Covid-19 positive person.

A video of the incident, which was shared by many on social media, showed a mob attacking the young doctor with brooms and utensils as the victim lay on the floor of the Covid care centre at Udali in Hojai district. Sources said the mob included family members of the patient who died at the centre.

Another video, which was also shared on social media, showed one person repeatedly asking the doctor why he had not visited the patient in two hours despite their requests. A relative of the patient was seen crying and lying on the floor of the centre.

The police have arrested all 24 persons who were part of the mob that attacked the doctor, Seuj Kumar Senapati.

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Reacting strongly to the incident, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma promised that all those involved in the attack would be brought to justice. "The chargesheet will be filed at the earliest. I am personally monitoring the case," Sarma posted on Facebook.

The Assam branch of Indian Medical Association (IMA), in a letter to the Chief Minister, demanded strict and swift action against the culprits and questioned the lack of security measures at hospitals including, Covid care centres.

They asked all doctors to abstain from outpatient duties on Wednesday as a mark of protest. They also demanded deployment of armed security forces in the state's hospitals and Covid care centres in order to prevent a similar incident in the future. "If we don't get a firm assurance on our demands from the government, then we will give a call to all doctors to boycott all non-emergency medical services including non-critical Covid duties on Thursday," the IMA said in the letter.

The doctors decided to wear black badges on Wednesday as a mark of protest against the attack.

DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta said police was taking the incident very seriously. "He is fighting the pandemic at the frontline, so any assault on him is akin to assaulting all frontline workers. Assam Police will not let that happen. We will bring the perpetrators to justice," he said.

"Let this be known, assaulting frontline workers will not be tolerated," he added.

Assam at present has over 53,000 active Covid-19 cases.