The family members of Dr Deben Dutta, senior medical officer of Teok tea estate in Upper Assam’s Jorhat district, who died after being allegedly assaulted by a mob on August 31 after the death of a patient, have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking justice.

The four-page letter, a copy of which is available with The Telegraph, alleged that Dutta was assaulted in the presence of armed security forces and police, who were “merely silent spectators” to the “illegal and inhumane incident”.

“The security personnel could have fired in the air to disperse the mob and take him to hospital but they did not do so,” K.P. Saikia, Dutta’s son-in-law alleged on Saturday.

Dutta’s widow Aparajita could not speak as she is in shock and grief.

The letter, dated September 5, says: “We, the family members of late Dr Deben Dutta, would like to bring your kind attention to the barbaric incident that occurred on August 31 at Teok tea estate hospital, Assam. Dr Dutta, a 73-year-old retired physician with more than 30 years of experience, was lynched by an inhumane mob which ultimately led to his untimely death. The incident was triggered by the death of a tea garden worker who was brought to the hospital around 3pm in a very critical condition. The in-charge nurse informed Dr Dutta, who was on lunch break, about the incident. On receiving the call, Dr Dutta reached the hospital to tackle the emergency situation within 10-15 minutes. Unfortunately, the patient, who was already in a critical condition, expired before Dr Dutta could administer any medical aid…. Dr Dutta was entirely innocent and there was no negligence on his part in treating the patient.”

“We…are totally disappointed with the failure of the police and other security forces in handling the angry mob, resulting in the death of our beloved family member. If we go through the various sources of information, including video clips, which are available in the public domain, it is very clear that Dr Dutta was mercilessly lynched by a large crowd of unruly people in presence of armed security forces who were mere spectators to this illegal and inhumane incident.

“We strongly feel that if the victim was provided immediate medical attention, he would have surely survived. We hold the law-and-order authorities and the state administration responsible for the delay. We also came to know from various sources that the mob not only attacked Dr Dutta but they also obstructed the ambulance taking him to the nearest hospital.

“Ultimately, suffering life-threatening injuries at the hands of the mob and bleeding profusely for more than two hours, Dr Dutta was rescued by paramilitary forces around 5.30pm and taken to Jorhat Medical College for treatment but, unfortunately, by that time he had already left this mortal world,” the letter said.

“The incident described above is not an aberration, rather it is one in a series of events of violence against doctors in general and especially against those working in the tea estates of Assam. After the brutal murder of Dr Dutta, a similar incident took place at Dihing tea estate yesterday (September 4) where resident doctor Madhusmita was also attacked by a violent tea garden mob. It clearly indicates that if exemplary punishment is not given to the culprits, these incidents will happen again and again. We also subserviently request that you take necessary step to enact strict laws for protecting the doctors in general, especially those working in sensitive areas like tea estates or other remote areas from violence and untimely death,” it said.

Later in the day, the family received a message from the Prime Minister’s office: “Your communication has been registered with registration number PMOPG/E/2019/0516965. Please visit at: https://pgportal.gov.in/status for further details.”

Another doctor quits

Nilamani Dutta, a doctor of Addabarie tea estate in Upper Assam’s Sonitpur district, resigned on Saturday in protest against the death of Deben Dutta. “I am living in fear after the incident and want to leave. My family members have been regularly calling me to inquire about my safety and, finally, I decided to resign from the garden,” he said.

Seven doctors working in tea estates have resigned so far after Dutta’s death.

Atul Kumar Kalita, president of the Indian Medical Association’s Tezpur branch said, “It is unfortunate that the environment has been filled with so much fear that doctors are leaving their jobs in tea estates. I appeal to the government to ensure that violence in hospitals is stopped. I am afraid if the leaders don’t act, the health scenario in the state might deteriorate.”

Inquiry panel: The Assam government on Saturday said the one-man committee, headed by commissioner and secretary, finance, Shyam Jagganathan, formed to inquire into the circumstances leading to Dutta’s death, will have to submit its report within a month. The committee will fix responsibility for lapses on the part of any authority and suggest measures to prevent such incidents.

Additional reporting by our correspondent in Tezpur