Assam: 30 held for doctor’s lynching

JORHAT, Sep 5
Police in Assam’s Jorhat district on Tuesday arrested 30 people in connection with the lynching of a doctor at a tea estate last week. The incident occurred on August 31, when a garden worker was brought to the hospital at Teok tea garden where Dr Deben Dutta, 73, worked. When the worker died, police said, a mob of 250-300 vandalised the hospital premises and attacked Dutta.
The police arrived and rescued Dutta and rushed him to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, but he died enroute.
Dr Deben Dutta, the doctor at a tea garden in Teok, was assaulted following the death of a tea garden worker who was under treatment at the hospital.
On Sunday, the State branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Assam Medical Service Association (AMSA) called for a 24-hour withdrawal of medical services by doctors to protest against the incident.
In response, doctors across Assam withdrew from services, excluding emergency services, on Tuesday.
The Indian Tea Association said in a press statement that it is not feasible for garden managements to run garden hospitals and urged State Government to take over the hospitals and run them under the aegis of State or Central schemes. Meanwhile, at least two tea garden doctors — one in Golaghat and one in Dibrugarh — tendered their resignation on Tuesday in protest against the incident, citing a threat to their lives and lack of security.
Indian Express