A critically ill patient died after the ambulance conveying him was stopped by police to allow the convoy of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to pass through Silchar, India.
The patient, identified as 42-year-old Rasaraj Chakraborty from Sribhumi district, died at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital on Thursday morning after being taken there for treatment.
India Today NE reported on Thursday that the ambulance carrying Chakraborty was stopped at the Ramnagar ISBT point in Silchar on Wednesday as police cleared the road for Sarma’s convoy.
According to the report, Chakraborty had been brought from Sribhumi to Silchar for advanced treatment after his condition became critical due to a liver-related ailment.
Footage showing the ambulance waiting while the Chief Minister’s convoy passed through the area later circulated on social media, drawing public criticism.
NDTV reported that four police personnel on duty during the incident were subsequently suspended after they stopped the ambulance to make way for Sarma’s convoy.
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👉 JOIN WHATSAPP CHANNELThe Chief Minister later apologised to the patient and his family, describing the incident as unacceptable and saying that no Chief Minister’s passage should take precedence over a person requiring urgent medical care.
However, the circumstances surrounding the patient’s death remained separate from the controversy over the ambulance stoppage.
Hindustan Times reported that Abhijit Swami, the principal of Silchar Medical College and Hospital, said Chakraborty was suffering from liver cirrhosis and died while undergoing treatment at about 6am on Thursday.
The newspaper also quoted a member of the patient’s family as saying that Chakraborty was already in a critical condition before the ambulance was stopped.
The family member said the ambulance was held up for nearly 30 minutes but that the delay was not responsible for Chakraborty’s death.
Sarma also said the patient’s death was not connected to the ambulance stoppage, according to ThePrint.
The Chief Minister said Chakraborty was suffering from a serious liver ailment and that the ambulance had been stopped for only a short period.
Despite that, Sarma said he was opposed to the practice of stopping ambulances to allow VIP convoys to pass.
“The patient was suffering from liver issues and I do not believe that the ambulance halt was connected to the death, but I am strongly against this culture of halting emergency services to pass VIP convoys,” Hindustan Times quoted Sarma as saying.
Following the incident, the Assam government directed district commissioners and senior police officers across the state to ensure that ambulances and other emergency vehicles were not obstructed during VIP movements.
Hindustan Times reported that the Chief Minister’s Office directed that Sarma’s convoy could be stopped, if necessary, to allow emergency vehicles to pass immediately.
The directive also ordered that the Chief Minister’s convoy be restricted to the minimum number of vehicles required for security and essential operations.
Ministers, lawmakers, officials and other dignitaries attending the same programmes were also directed not to travel alongside the Chief Minister’s convoy.
India Today NE reported that the four police personnel suspended over the Silchar incident were facing a departmental inquiry for alleged negligence of duty.
In his post on X after the incident, Sarma said he had directed officials to investigate what happened and warned that anyone found violating the rules governing his convoy would face strict consequences.
He said his directives that VIP movements must not disrupt ordinary citizens had been clear, adding that they should be enforced in full.
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