India: Patient dies after his ambulance is blocked by a minister's convoy

In India, a 42-year-old man died in hospital shortly after the ambulance transporting him was blocked by police to allow the official convoy of a senior political leader to pass.

The case has sparked a heated controversy in the country. A critically ill patient died a day after the ambulance taking him to the hospital was forced to stop to allow passage for the convoy of Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister of Assam State, in the town of Silchar.

The patient, identified as Rasaraj Chakraborty, resided in the Sribhumi district.

Suffering from a serious liver condition, his health deteriorated rapidly, requiring his urgent transfer to Silchar Medical College and Hospital for specialized care. He passed away on the morning of Thursday, October 1st.

According to reports in India Today, the incident occurred on Wednesday, September 30th, at the Ramnagar ISBT intersection. Police blocked traffic, including the ambulance carrying Mr. Chakraborty, to clear the way for the Chief Minister's official motorcade.

A video showing the ambulance stopped in the middle of traffic while official vehicles passed quickly circulated on social media, triggering a wave of anger and outrage among the population.

Faced with the outcry, the authorities reacted. According to The Times of India, four police officers on duty at the time of the incident were immediately suspended for stopping the emergency vehicle.

For his part, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma apologized to the victim's family, calling the incident "unacceptable." He reiterated that no official travel should take precedence over a medical emergency.

"Medical emergencies must take precedence over the movements of VIPs. Under no circumstances should the movement of ambulances or any other emergency vehicles be impeded by arrangements related to a VIP convoy."

The leader also insisted that the guidelines concerning official convoys must now be applied "to the letter", stating that "the new Assam has no place for VIP culture" and that whoever occupies his position is merely a "chief servant".

"There is no direct link," the minister asserted.

While offering his condolences, Mr. Sarma was keen to clarify that, in his opinion, the death was not directly caused by this stoppage: "The patient suffered from a serious liver disease and his death is not related to this short stoppage," he told reporters in Nagaon.

On the ground, the family's distress is immense. Rasaraj Chakraborty's wife made a poignant appeal for help to the Chief Minister, reminding him that her husband was the sole breadwinner for the household:

"He leaves behind two children. I am appealing to the Chief Minister to help my family survive in the absence of their only source of income."