Four people were arrested by police in Tripura on Tuesday for allegedly abusing and spitting on a woman doctor at a health care centre in Agartala.
The four accused persons allegedly spat on West Tripura district health surveillance officer Sangita Chakraborty.
The incident took place in a government-run Covid Care Centre (CCC) in Agartala when she had gone on July 24 to admit five women who had given birth only a day earlier, said a police officer.
They were arrested after the completion of their seven-day institutional quarantine.
“One of the patients rinsed his mouth and spat on my head from the roof of the Covid care centre, forcing me to rush inside the centre,” said physician Chakraborty.
She said they had reached the care centre with a health department team and police personnel to admit the new patients when a group of people, men and women, obstructed their way and claimed that there were no beds vacant at the centre.
“When requested by the other doctors and nurses to return to their beds, some of them started agitating using filthy language, spat on me and threatened to touch me and infect me with coronavirus,” the health officer said.
Tripura health and family welfare department director Radha Debbarma said that the authority would take stern action against the accused.
Demanding action against the accused, the All Tripura Government Doctors’ Association (ATGDA) general secretary Rajesh Choudhury said they had raised the issue with higher authorities.
“If they failed to take any action, we would take appropriate legal steps,” he said.