Digboi: A 26-year-old woman worker injured in a fall at M/S New Hapjan Tea Factory in Assam’s Tinsukia district is locked in a dispute with the management over medical expenses, with her family seeking full reimbursement of a hospital bill exceeding Rs 40,000.
Rubi Baruah, a resident of Nazirating under Digboi Police Station, reportedly fell from a height of around six feet at about 11 pm on October 10. She sustained multiple fractures, a head injury and a waist injury that required two stitches.
Speaking on Tuesday evening, Rubi alleged that the management had offered to pay only Rs 20,000 towards the cost of her treatment at a private nursing home in Tinsukia, where she stayed for three-and-a-half days. She demanded full reimbursement, transportation and the medicines prescribed by her doctor.
“The management should pay my bill in full and arrange transportation and the prescribed medicines,” she said.
Utpal Baruah, a security contractor engaged at the factory in Longsoal under Doomdooma Police Station who also oversees the establishment’s affairs, disputed her account. He said he had visited the hospital several times and offered Rs 20,000 to her husband, Raju Baruah, who allegedly refused the amount.
Utpal Baruah described the hospital bill as suspicious and said the management could not afford what he termed excessive treatment costs. It remains unclear whether the offer was intended as partial assistance or a full settlement.
Rubi’s husband had earlier alleged that she remained unconscious in intensive care after surgery and that he had borrowed money to pay the hospital’s security deposit. He also claimed that the management had not provided financial assistance at that stage.
The circumstances surrounding Rubi’s hospital transfers have also been disputed. Tarpan Deka, a member of the factory’s management committee, said she was discharged from Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh on the morning of October 11 and taken home before being admitted to a private nursing home in Tinsukia later that afternoon. Deka said the management had not been informed about the subsequent admission.
The family alleged that factory staff who visited Rubi on Sunday afternoon said the owner wanted her shifted to another hospital because of the high treatment costs. It remains unclear whether the proposed transfer was based on medical advice or financial considerations.
Utpal Baruah alleged that the accident occurred after Rubi entered an unauthorised area through the tea-processing unit. He said she had not been assigned to work at an elevated location and was supposed to perform duties in the workshop.
Baruah also reportedly acknowledged that the site of the fall did not have CCTV coverage, potentially complicating efforts to establish what happened. Whether access restrictions were clearly communicated and adequate safety measures were in place remains unclear.
The incident occurred at around 11 pm, raising questions about the circumstances under which Rubi was present in the area and the safety arrangements in place during late shifts.
As of Tuesday evening, no FIR had reportedly been lodged, and an official inspection by the police or Labour Department had not been confirmed. Baruah, however, said the local police station and the concerned Labour Department had been informed. Whether the information was formally recorded or any action followed remains unclear.
The circumstances of the fall, the disputed medical expenses and the management’s response remain unresolved. The factory owner’s formal response, Rubi’s current medical condition and the status of any official inquiry were not available.