Connect hospital CCTVs with nearest police stations: Gauhati HC

Guwahati, August 1 (PTI): The Gauhati High Court has said that mere installation of CCTV cameras in hospitals is not enough and that they should be connected to the nearest police station to prevent attacks on doctors.

The Bench of Chief Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak directed the state government to apprise the court about the progress in this matter within 10 days.

The next date of hearing will be on August 16. 

The high court made this observation on Friday while hearing a public interest litigation filed by one Sourav Paul.

The Bench also heard a suo motu PIL which was registered in June based on a letter by Advocate Sneha Kalita on the attack of a doctor at Udali Model Hospital (COVID Care Centre) in Hojai district.

Assam Advocate General D Saikia had apprised the court that almost all the government medical colleges and the district government hospitals are having CCTV cameras.

"But there are some government hospitals, including some Model Hospitals, where CCTV cameras are yet to be installed," it added. On June 1, a doctor was severely assaulted at Udali Model Hospital by relatives and friends of a COVID-19 patient, who died during treatment.  Twenty-eight had been arrested in this connection.