Guwahati, May 31: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) today condemned the alleged rape of a woman from the tea garden community while returning home from a hospital after having undergone treatment for COVID-19 in Borhaat Nagamaati area in Charaideo district of Assam yesterday.
"The most surprising fact is that the hospital authorities of Sapakheti Model Hospital could not provide an ambulance to drop the woman and her daughter, who were COVID patients and were released after they turned negative. The mother-daughter was left to fend for themselves when lockdown was in place. Isn't it the responsibility of the hospital and local authorities to see to it that the woman and her daughter reached their home safely?," the APCC said in a statement.
It further alleged that the incident exposes the apathy of the BJP-led State government towards women from tea garden and backward communities.
"The Government of Assam should immediately take action and apprehended the culprits. It has come to our knowledge that the rapists have not yet been caught and are running scot free," it added.
The statement also referred to a recent Tweet by BJP MLA of Khumtai, Mrinal Saikia, in which he had said that the Golaghat Civil Hospital had refused to take two COVID patients to the hospital and he had to arrange an ambulance himself.
"So this is the actual ground situation of health infrastructure and COVID management in Assam," the Opposition party added in the statement.
Charaideo Police arrested the two accused of Borhat Rape within two days of reporting of the incident.
