The lynching of Deben Dutta happened on 31 August 2019 when the Teok Tea Estate hospital of Jorhat district in Assam was attacked by a mob of tea garden workers angry that treatment delays had caused the death of a worker.[1]
| Lynching of Deben Dutta | |
|---|---|
| Location | Teok, Jorhat district, Assam, India |
| Coordinates | 26°49′52″N 94°25′55″E / 26.8310°N 94.4320°E |
| Date | July 31, 2019 |
Attack type | Lynching |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Victim | Dr. Deben Dutta |
| Perpetrators | 20+ people |
| Inquiry | Assam Police |
| Accused | 32 people |
| Convicted | 25 people |
| Convictions | Capital punishment to 1 Life imprisonment to 24 |
Hospital attack
editDr. Deben Dutta (age 73) was working as the senior medical officer at Teok Tea Estate Hospital when a mob attacked following the allegation of treatment of a tea garden worker Somra Majhi's treatment delay resulted in the worker's death.[2] Dutta attempted to calm the mob but was assaulted and also injured by broken glass stones thrown at the hospital's windows. The mob called for the doctor's lynching, delayed an ambulance arriving at the scene, and prevented Dutta from receiving medical treatment for his injuries.[1]
A team of the Central Reserve Police Force arrived one and half hours later, and they took Dutta to Jorhat Medical College Hospital but he had already died of injuries.[3] Dutta was blamed for not being present at the hospital when Somra Majhi was admitted in critical condition.[4]
Tea Estate doctors resign
editThe incident sparked fear amongst the doctors working in Tea Estate hospitals and 7 doctors resigned from their jobs for their security concerns.[5] Following the incident, the Indian Medical Association and Assam Medical service called for a withdrawal of medical services by doctors for 24 hours and on 3 September the doctors across the state withdrew their services except for emergency cases.[6][7][8] Further, on 4 September, the Indian Medical Association sought a report from the Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal within 24 hours and wrote to the Prime Minister, Home Minister, and the Health Minister demanding a legal act to protect health workers.[9] The World Medical Association also condemned the lynching of Dutta and wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan,[10] following which the Home Ministry of India drafted the Healthcare Service Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill, 2019.[11][12][13]
Family seeks justice
editDutta's family wrote to the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi seeking justice for the incident.[14] The family of Dutta and the Indian Medical Association demanded a fast-track trial of the case.[15]
Investigation
editInvestigating the incident of Dutta's killing, the Assam Police arrested 32 people and submitted a charge sheet of 602 pages that included 56 witnesses. The investigation was led by Deputy Inspector general Shiv Prasad Ganjawala.[16] The Assam government decided the trial to be in a fast-track court.[17][18]
Sentencing
editThe trial of the case ended on 12 October 2020. The session court of Jorhat 25 of the 32 accused were convicted under sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (punishment for rioting and armed with deadly weapon), 302 (punishment for murder), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 353 (punishment for assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code and, on 19 October, the court awarded death penalty to one (Sanjay Rajkonwar), and life imprisonment to 24 others for murder of Dutta. Six of the accused were acquitted due to lack of evidences, one accused (Hari Majhi) died during the trial.[19][20][21] After the judgment was delivered, the Assam Police stated that the case is the first case in India, where witness identity concealment approach was used.[22]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Das, Gaurav (2 September 2019). "Assam: 73-Year-Old Doctor Lynched at Tea Estate, 21 Arrested". The Wire. The Wire (India). Retrieved 4 June 2022.
- ^ Jaiswal, Umanand (21 October 2020). "Assam death penalty for lynching doctor". Telegraph India. The Telegraph (India). Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ Bhattacharyya, Smita (31 August 2019). "Tea garden workers beat senior doctor to death in Assam's Jorhat". NORTHEAST NOW. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Assam: 73-year-old doctor dies after being beaten up by tea estate workers in Jorhat district". Scroll.in. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Parashar, Utpal (6 September 2019). "7 doctors posted in tea estates in Assam resign fearing security". Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Assam: 30 arrested for doctor's lynching". The Indian Express. The Indian Express. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Protest at Silchar Medical College hits essential services". Nagaland Post. Nagaland Post. 3 September 2019.
- ^ "Assam docs on strike protesting colleague's murder". Deccan Herald. Deccan Herald. Press Trust of India. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "IMA warns of nationwide stir over demand for law to protect doctors". The Week. The Week. Press Trust of India. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Medical Association Writes To PM Modi Over Violence Against Doctors". NDTV. NDTV. Press Trust of India. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Mishra, Himanshu Shekhar (3 September 2019). "Up To 10 Years' Jail Proposed For Violence Against Doctors In Draft Bill". NDTV. NDTV. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Govt proposes legislation to address violence against medical professionals". The Statesman. The Statesman (India). 3 September 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Health Ministry Proposes Legislation Over Violence Against Doctors". Outlook. Outlook (Indian magazine). 14 February 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Ojha, Manoj Kumar (7 September 2019). "Doctor's family seeks justice from Modi". Telegraph India. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Ojha, Manoj Kumar (20 October 2019). "Kin of Dr Deben Dutta want trial fast-tracked". Telegraph India. The Telegraph (India). Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Death for 1, life for 24 for killing Assam doctor". The Times of India. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Assam To Fast Track Trial Of 73-Year-Old Tea Estate Doctor's Killing". NDTV. NDTV. Indo-Asian News Service. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Singh, Bikash (4 September 2019). "Doctor's death: Assam government orders inquiry and trail in the fast track court". The Economic Times. The Economic Times. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Mazumdar, Prasanta (20 October 2020). "Assam: One gets death, 24 others lifer in 2019 doctor lynching case". The New Indian Express. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Bhattacharyya, Smita (12 October 2020). "Assam: 25 convicted in Jorhat doctor Deben Dutta lynching case, six others acquitted". Northeast Now. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Das, Amlan Jyoti (20 October 2020). "Assam court orders death penalty to tea estate doctor mob-lynching case". EastMojo. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Parashar, Utpal (12 October 2020). "Assam court holds 25 guilty in lynching of 73-yr-old tea garden doctor last year". Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
Further reading
edit- Kumar, Raman (December 2019). "Death of a doctor - Ek Doctor Ki Maut-Time to boost the ailing and failing public health system in India". Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. 8 (12): 3771–3772. doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_897_19. PMC 6924225. PMID 31879611.