In Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, a man was forced to carry the body of his 18-year-old younger brother on a bicycle. All this due to the absence of a motorable road. The incident took place in Majuli which is represented by the Assam CM. Soon after the footage was aired on local TV channels, Sonowal initiated a probe and a top health official was rushed to the spot.
The patient, Dimple Das, was brought to the hospital by six people at around 3.30 am on Monday in a “very serious condition”. Das was brought on a bicycle and after his death due to respiratory problems, the family members left with his body tied to a bicycle. Officials have claimed that the hospital had a hearse van and they were arranging the same.
Before Das could even be treated upon and could be provided with oxygen supply, the patient died. In view of the incident, the Chief Minister expressed concern and directed the officials to take stock of the situation.
The patient hailed from Balijan village in Lakhimpur district. He was brought to the civil hospital in Garamur. There is no motorable road link in Balijan and villagers have to cross a makeshift bamboo bridge to reach the main road to Garamur.
The incident comes eight months after visuals of a tribal Dana Majhi carrying his wife’s body on his shoulder in Kalahandi in Odisha came to light. Dana Majhi carried his wife’s body on his shoulders for nearly 12 km as he had no money for a hearse van. The visuals had then triggered widespread anguish.
