Probe ordered as 18 picked up; TE under lock-out
GUWAHATI: Eighteen persons have been picked up in the case of assault on a doctor of a tea estate in Jorhat district of Upper Assam who later succumbed to his injuries at Jorhat Medical College Hospital on Saturday evening, police said.
Deben Dutta, the senior medical officer of Teok Tea Estate, was allegedly beaten by an enraged group of people around 4pm on Saturday following the death of a labourer, Somra Majhi who was under treatment at the garden hospital.
“As of now, 18 persons have been picked up in the case,” Teok police station officer-in-charge, Dipankar Gogoi,” told The Shillong Times on Sunday evening. Police however refused to divulge any more details.
A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
“Additional deputy commissioner, Subhan Gowalla, will conduct the probe and submit a report in seven days. Follow-up action on the incident has been initiated. Situation in the garden is under control and under close watch,” Jorhat deputy commissioner, Roshni Aparanji Korati said.
The Assam Medical Service Association meanwhile has demanded immediate arrest of the perpetrators of the “heinous” assault on a doctor of a tea estate in Jorhat district of Upper Assam who later succumbed to his injuries at Jorhat Medical College Hospital on Saturday evening.
In a letter to the state director general of police, the association demanded action against the culprits responsible for the incident under the Assam Medicare Service Personnel and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Properties) Act, 2011.
The association further said that it would stand by the medical fraternity and health service associations while demanding measures to prevent such incidents in future.
Given the tense situation, the management of the garden owned by Amalgamated Plantations Pvt Ltd (APPL) has declared a lock-out of the tea estate after consideration of the threat posed to life and property.
The unruly mob, according to the management of the tea garden, had also assaulted the welfare officer who attempted to rescue the doctor from the mob attack.
The group reportedly comprised workers of the garden, non-workers and outsiders. The unruly crowd had also resorted to pelting of stones and projectiles, damaging window panes of the hospital.
Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association, Assam State Branch, in protest against the incident and the frequent cases of attacks on doctors in the past, has called for a “24 hour withdrawal of medical services excluding emergency” by doctors all over the state from 6am of September 3 to 6am of September 4.