Assam: Doctors flee due to extortion, SP shunted out

Two days after all the doctors in the district civil hospital fled due to threats from insurgents, the Assam government on Monday shunted out Superintendent of Police in Kokrajhar district of western Assam, P K Dutta.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday admitted that the situation in Bodoland Territorial Council areas, where Kokrajhar district is located, was deteriorating. Doctors of Rup Nath Brahma Civil Hospital in the district fled after some of them were served with extortion demands by militants belonging to the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (anti-talks faction).

All the doctors in the hospital in Kokrajhar district fled after the anti-talks faction of the NDFB demanded Rs one lakh each from them as extortion.

This has rendered medical services in the hospital non-functional since Saturday night, much to the agony of the patients.

Meanwhile, the Assam government has sent five doctors from the Guwahati Medical College Hospital and two doctors from the NRHM to Kokrajhar hospital as a stop-gap arrangement. It is the biggest hospital in the entire BTC area of Assam.

Chief Executive Member of Bodoland Territorial Council Hagrama Mohilary told the media that all the 28 doctors of Rup Nath Brahma Civil Hospital in Kokrajhar had fled along with their families after they faced extortion demands by the NDFB militants. The ultras had asked the doctors to pay up Rs one lakh by Saturday evening.

The NDFB militants have been on an extortion spree in the entire BTC area and they have targeted not only doctors but all other government service holders, teachers working in government institutions and colleges in the BTC areas.

The NDFB ultras have killed at least three businessmen in Kokrajhar town during the past one month or so.

The NDFB faction recently declared unilateral ceasefire, hoping that the government will call it for a dialogue and release its leader Ranjan Daimary from jail. But the outfit continues with its illegal activities including extortion despite the truce declared by it.

Ranjan Daimary was arrested in Bangladesh and later handed over to the Assam police. He is named by the CBI as the prime accused behind the dastardly serial blasts that killed over 90 people in Assam on October 30, 2008.