From Sandeep Sharma
GUWAHATI: Within a time span of 28 days, police filed the chargesheet in connection with the assault on an on-duty physician Dr Seuj Kumar Senapati at a Covid care centre at Udali in Hojai district before the court of the chief judicial magistrate at Sankardevnagar here on Tuesday.
“Reference Udali Doctor assault case of Hojai – @Hojai_Police has submitted a charge sheet today against 36 accused persons including 3 children in conflict with law. In 29 days. @assampolice,” special DGP GP Singh said in a tweet.
“Well done entire @Hojai_Police team led ably by the young SP Sri Barun Purkayastha. Special mention for the Investigation Officer DSP Ms Rosy Talukdar. Grateful for contribution by @AssamCid team,” Singh tweeted.
The 639-page chargesheet named 36 persons, including three minors, as accused in the case in which Dr Senapati and two other nursing staff were physically attacked by an irate mob at Phultoli Model Hospital near Udali in Hojai district on June 1.
A team of police led by Hojai superintendent of police Barun Purkayastha and deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Rosy Talukdar, who is the investigating officer of the case, have filed the charge sheet under Section 117, 120B, 143, 147, 342, 427, 447, 333, 307, 353 of Indian Penal Code read with Section 3(2) of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, Section 51(b) of Disaster Management Act, Section 5 and 6 of Assam Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2011.
Earlier, an FIR No. 370/21 was registered with Lanka Police Station in connection with the incident.
The chargesheet also mentioned 46 persons as eyewitnesses of the incident that had triggered widespread protests across the state.
A critically ill Covid-19 positive patient Gaisuddin, a resident of No. 2 Pipalphukuri was admitted to the hospital at around 11 am and died at 2 pm.
Immediately after that, the relatives and a group of people known to the victim arrived there and started physically assaulting the doctor.
A video of the attack which went viral on social media showed that a person, apparently looking like the doctor, was being assaulted by a group of people, including women.
Various political parties and social organisations condemned the incident and asked the government to take strict action against the culprits.
The incident also prompted the Assam Medical Service Association (AMSA) to stage demonstrations against the assault and boycotted all OPD services across Assam on June 2.
The police have rounded up 36 accused persons from various places within a week after the incident.
Earlier, Singh said the main accused persons and conspirators, including a woman seen in a video of the incident, have been arrested.
“We would submit a strong chargesheet in the shortest possible time and ensure the criminals are brought to justice,” Hojai superintendent of police Barun Purkayastha had said.
