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Assam: Journalist beaten by home guard in hospital; Accused suspended
Journalist, Biswa Kalyan Purkayastha went through a medical checkup on Saturday night at Silchar Civil Hospital and the on-duty doctors said that they found five severe injuries on his body
A home guard has been suspended for allegedly beating journalist and Hindustan Times contributor Biswa Kalyan Purkayastha with a stick when he went to deliver food for his sister-in-law who is admitted in a government hospital in Assam’s Cachar district on Saturday night, police said.
Purkayastha said that his sister-in-law gave birth to a baby boy on November 11 and she was been undergoing treatment with post-pregnancy issues at Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH). The doctors on Saturday evening suggested the family members to give her soft food. “At around 11.20pm, I went to SMCH with some food where a few men in uniform verbally ill-behaved with me. I requested them to behave well when one of them started beating me with a stick,” he alleged.
He went through a medical checkup on Saturday night at Silchar Civil Hospital and the on-duty doctors said that they found five severe injuries on his body. On Sunday afternoon, Purkayastha lodged a first information report (FIR) at Silchar Sadar police station and the police registered a case immediately after that.
Superintendent of police (SP) of Cachar district, Numal Mahatta accompanied by additional SP Subrata Sen and additional SP (crime) Kalyan Kumar Das rushed to Silchar Civil Hospital on Saturday night to meet the injured journalist.
On Sunday evening, the SP told the media that providing security to the journalists is one of their priorities. “We have instructions from the chief minister to provide adequate security to the journalists. We are taking proper steps so that these kind of incident never happen again,” he said.
Police officials familiar with the matter said that the accused home guard, identified as S Deb, has been detained and he has been suspended from his post as well. An official from the Ghungoor police outpost, who did not want to be named, said that the accused has been identified and he was detained on Saturday night. “We are investigating the matter and appropriate actions will be taken against him,” the official said.
President of Silchar Press Club, Sankar Dey condemned the attack on the journalist and said they’d have condemned similar attacks on any person with equal intensity.
“We want proper investigation and strict action against the accused home guard. We won’t tolerate attack on journalists but we’d have condemned such attack on any other person,” he said.
SMCH principal Dr Babul Kumar Bezbarua on Sunday morning called the home guards and asked them to improve their behaviour. He said that the SMCH authority has asked the police department to remove the accused from the hospital.
“We are trying to build a good relationship between common people and the hospital but all our efforts go in vain with these incidents,” he said while regretting for the attack on journalist.
There have been complaints against SMCH for misbehaviours by doctors and other staff. A week back, a doctor allegedly kicked a pregnant woman and the family members attacked them.
Senior journalist Pranananda Das in a tweet wrote, “It’s disturbing, scribe Bishwa Kalyan Purakaystha was mercilessly assaulted by a home guard personnel inside SMCH campus. We need urgent action.”
Professor Joydeep Das from Silchar wrote on social media, “This is yet another nasty example of brazen violation of dignity of citizens. Biswa Kalyan Purkayastha happened to be a student of mine. I condemn the attack.
