On June 2, Assam Police arrested 24 people, including main perpetrators and conspirators, for attacking a doctor at a Covid care centre. A video of the incident went viral on social media platforms that triggered a strong protest. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma quoted the viral video and called it a barbaric attack. He said, “Such barbaric attacks on our frontline workers won’t be tolerated by our administration. Assam Police and DGP GP Singh ensure that the culprits brought to justice.”
Such barbaric attacks on our frontline workers won’t be tolerated by our administration. @gpsinghassam @assampolice Ensure that the culprits brought to justice. https://t.co/HwQfbWwYmn
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 1, 2021
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma further released names of rest of the perpetrators.
18. Alimuddin
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 2, 2021
19. Jamil Ahmad
20. Sarifuddin
21. Safiquddin
22. Mofizur Rahman
23. Matibur Rahman
24. Miss Misba Begum
According to the reports, Dr. Seuj Kumar Senapati, who was posted at Udali CCC in Hojai district of central Assam, was attacked by the relatives of a patient including. The patient was admitted on June 1 at 11 AM and died at 2 PM of Covid related complications. In the viral video, security personnel and other staff members were seen trying to stop them, but no one listened.
2/2
— Dr. Kamal debnath (@debnath_aryan) June 1, 2021
How long shall we tolerate?@CMOfficeAssam @himantabiswa @gpsinghassam @Hojai_Police @nhm_assam pic.twitter.com/Ri4ZR61Pje
The Police identified the main perpetrators as Md. Kamaruddin, Md. Jainal uddin, Rehanuddin, Saidul Alam, Rahim Uddin, Rajul Islam, Tayebur Rahman and Sahil Islam. By 4 AM, Tuesday, the Police had arrested 24 people in the case.
Names of perpetrators picked up till now – 1) Md.Kamaruddin
— GP Singh (@gpsinghassam) June 1, 2021
2) Md. Jainal uddin 3) Rehanuddin
4) Saidul Alam
5) Rahim uddin
6) Rajul Islam
7) Tayebur Rahman 8) Sahil Islam.
Assam Medical Service Association condemned the attack
Assam Medical Service Association wrote a letter to the deputy commissioner of the district and informed him about the incident. The letter said that the mob damaged the building and instruments besides “brutally assaulting” the doctor. The letter said, “These type of incidents demoralises our serving attitude. They are not the only enemy to doctors but also to the entire community.” They demanded the culprits be arrested in 12 hours and strict action to be taken against them so that such incidents do not happen again.
Indian Medical Association also wrote a letter to the Home Minister Amit Shah condemning the attack. In the letter, the association said, “Doctors and healthcare staff is finding it difficult to work under the stress of violence.” They further added, “We request for immediate strict action on culprits in Assam incident.”
All culprits arrested, said DGP
In a series of tweets, Gyanendra Pratap Singh, Director General of Police, Assam, said that by 4 AM Tuesday, 24 persons, including main perpetrators and conspirators, have been arrested. This includes the woman seen in the video.
Further action till 0400 Hours on June 2nd – 24 persons including main perpetrators & conspirators have been arrested. This includes the woman seen in the video. @himantabiswa @CMOfficeAssam @keshab_mahanta @DGPAssamPolice @assampolice
— GP Singh (@gpsinghassam) June 1, 2021
Barun Purkayastha, SP Hojai, said, “A critically ill Covid-19 patient succumbed to the disease at Udali Covid Care Centre on Tuesday afternoon. Immediately after that, the relatives and a group of people known to the victim arrived there and started beating up the doctor. After getting the information, our team reached there and arrested three persons. Further investigation is on. The doctor has been referred to Nagaon for better treatment.”
Covid-19 in Assam
On June 1, Assam reported 4,682 cases of Covid-19. There are 51,333 active cases in the state. 4,992 patients recovered from the disease on Monday, and 51 lost their lives. The current test positivity ratio in the state is around 4%.
