With more than 3.35 lakh persons killed and approximately 28 million cases reported so far, the COVID-19 epidemic has been a terrible period for everyone. Despite the fact that frontline employees are being praised as pandemic heroes, attacks on Doctors and other key employees persist.
A video of a doctor being violently abused in Assam’s Hojai district went viral on Tuesday, allegedly by the friends and family of a deceased COVID-19 patient. The gang assaulted shortly after word broke that a severely ill COVID-19 patient had died of the condition, according to Superintendent of Police Barun Purkayastha. The doctor in issue has been admitted to the hospital.
The incident took place at the Udali Model Hospital. A video clip of the attack that has since gone viral on social media shows an individual being punched and kicked and attacked by a metal trash can and bricks. The clip was also shared by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who tagged the state police and sought justice. “Such barbaric attacks on our frontline workers won’t be tolerated by our administration,” he added.
In a follow-up post on Wednesday, Sarma said that a total of 24 people had been arrested over the incident. “24 culprits involved in this barbaric attack have been arrested and the charge sheet will be filed at the earliest. I am personally monitoring this investigation and I promise that justice will be served,” he assured.
The announcement has also sparked significant outrage in the medical community, with the AIIMS Resident Doctors Association demanding that the culprits be prosecuted under the Epidemic Disease Act of 1897. The event has been denounced by both the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Assam Medical Service Association.
The IMA has sent a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding that he pass bold and effective legislation to combat healthcare violence.
Doctors at Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) staged a protest on Wednesday, seeking an investigation into the event.
