New Delhi: Twenty four people were arrested in Assam’s Hojai district Wednesday in connection with an attack on the Covid Care Centre, which left several injured, including a doctor and nurse who have been hospitalised.
The attack was allegedly carried out by relatives of a patient who died of Covid-related complications. The patient Giyaz Uddin, a resident of Pipal Pukhuri village, had died Tuesday.
Additional Director General of Police, Assam, G.P. Singh told ThePrint that a charge sheet will be filed within the stipulated time of 90 days. The accused will be booked under charges of attempt to murder, criminal trespassing, voluntarily causing grievances to public servant, unlawful assembly and wrongful confinement among others.
“The police reached immediately on receipt of information from Lanka and Hojai under direct supervision of SP Hojai. The condition of both victims is stable,” Singh told ThePrint.
Dr Seuj Senapati and nurse Lalita Bharali are currently admitted in Guwahati Medical College and are receiving treatment. The doctor sustained a fracture to his face, a swelling above his right eye, a severely bruised back while blood has pooled under his scalp.
The attack came to light after a video of the assault surfaced on social media and was widely shared.
Taking note of the incident, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called the incident a “barbaric attack” and said a charge sheet will be filed “at the earliest”. “I am personally monitoring this investigation and I promise that justice will be served,” he said.
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What happened during the attack
It was Dr Senapati’s second day at the Covid Care Centre in Hojai district, around 140 km from Guwahati, when he arrived for duty at 1.30 pm Tuesday. An attendant apprised him about a patient being unable to pass urine.
“I put on gloves and took a catheter to the patient’s bed, but he had already died by then,” Dr Senapati can be heard saying in a video addressed to the media.
In the video of the attack, the 25-year-old doctor is seen being beaten with metal trash cans and bricks by a group of people. The doctor’s ring, gold chain and mobile were also stolen, and the hospital ransacked
“We tried to hide in whatever room we could, but they managed to drag me out after a while. They hit me with sticks, bowls, slapped and kicked me. I was beaten in the ward and also outside,” he goes on to say in the video address.
Dr Senapati had just completed his internship from Tezpur Medical College and is on a one year rural duty posting.
“He’s really upset and his parents are not willing to send him back on duty. His bruises will recover in two or three weeks, but the mental trauma will take time. He will suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He’s mentally broken down,” Dr Boidurjya Bora, Tezpur Medical College and Hospital, told ThePrint.
“They choked me. They kicked the door so hard it hit my head and I was senseless, the wall fell down. I ran and hid in another washroom, they kept hunting for me. I begged them so much to let me go,” nurse Bharali can be heard saying between sobs in a video for an Assamese news channel.
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Medical community demands safety protocol
Police said they accused will also be booked under sections 5 and 6 of the Assam Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institution (Prevention of Violence and Damage to property) Act, 2011, that states any violence against a medicare service person is a non-bailable offence and the accused has to pay compensation for the property damage done.
“They should be booked under Epidemic Act and also the Assam Medicare Service Act should be invoked. We demand a fast-track trial and a verdict should be delivered within three months,” said Dr Satyajit Borah, president, Indian Medical Association (Assam chapter).
Noting how the issue will soon lose attention, Dr Boidurjya Bora added, “Right now, the issue is in the limelight so everyone is concerned about him (Dr Senapati). In a week, when he won’t be getting this attention, he will be very lonely … We hardly get any money for this job. We get around Rs 35,000 per month and work round-the-clock.”
Dr Anup Senapati, who has spent eight years serving in Assam’s rural areas and is currently a PG student at Silchar Medical College, called the incident “pathetic”.
“Ours is the only country where such incidents happen. It’s very discouraging for us. I don’t know if this will bring about any change,” he said, adding how such cases have been on the rise. “We need a permanent solution. We need to be ensured that we are safe on duty, and stricter rules should be implemented. It really depends on whether the culprits get appropriate punishment or not,” he added.
These demands are echoed by IMA.
Several other bodies including the Assam Medical Service Association and the Resident Doctors’ Association at AIIMS condemned the attack while making similar demands.
Addressing Home Minister Amit Shah, IMA president Dr J.A. Jayalal pressed on the need for a “comprehensive, uniform and effective law against healthcare violence”.
(Edited by Manasa Mohan)
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