MANGALDAI, March 20 - At a time when the entire medical fraternity is facing an emergency situation following the outbreak of COVID-19, a strong sense of resentment has been prevailing among the fraternity here following the physical assault on a medical officer while on duty at Dumunichowki State Dispensary in Darrang district on Tuesday.
Doctors of government hospitals in Darrang district on Wednesday staged a protest by wearing black badges, without affecting emergency medical services, said Dr Nani Gopal Saharia, vice president of the Assam Medical Service Association (AMSA). �Members of AMSA took part in the protest all over the state,� he said.
�An emergency executive body meeting of our district committee meeting was held on Thursday evening, demanding arrest of all the culprits, including the identified employee of the DC Office and immediate transfer of the victim doctor to a safer place. Our demand has been placed before the Darrang Deputy Commissioner who visited us and assured action,� he added.
It may be mentioned here that a youth � later identified as Shah Alam of Burha-Jayantipur village � came to the Dumunichowki State Dispensary on Tuesday morning and approached the only doctor there, Dr Siddhartha Krishna Deka for a death certificate of his mother.
But as the youth allegedly failed to produce the requisite certificate from the local village head, medical officer Dr Deka refused to sign the relevant document citing government guidelines. This reportedly led to an altercation, when the youth allegedly caught hold of the doctor�s neck and also tore apart his shirt.
As stated in the police FIR, it was followed by two more attacks on the doctor � first by an employee of the DC Office a few minutes after his departure from the hospital along with the threat of a more serious attack by villagers, and secondly, by a mob that stormed into the doctor�s chamber at the hospital and beat him up mercilessly. Later, police from Sipajhar Police Station managed to rescue the doctor.
On the basis of the FIR lodged by the doctor, where the names of two persons including the employee of the DC Office were mentioned, police after registering a case at the Sipajhar Police Station, arrested the prime accused, Shah Alam of Burha-Jayantipur and remanded him in judicial custody on Thursday.
�The prime accused has been sent to judicial custody and search is on for the other identified accused persons, as they are absconding,� DSP (HQ) Mamoni Hazaika said on Friday. Meanwhile, police also registered a case against the medical officer on the basis of the complaint filed by Shah Alam, the prime accused.
