Doctor assaulted; auto services suspended after attack in Siliguri
Siliguri: Tension gripped parts of Siliguri on Monday following two separate incidents of assault that triggered widespread concern among residents and transport workers.
In an incident, a renowned doctor, Dr. Mainak Mukherjee, was allegedly assaulted by a group of individuals at Hill Cart Road. The incident took place at Sree Bhavan Market, where the doctor had reportedly gone for personal work in the afternoon.
According to sources, Dr. Mukherjee witnessed a youth being brutally beaten by several persons on suspicion of theft. When he intervened and urged the crowd to hand the youth over to the police instead of taking the law into their own hands, the situation allegedly turned hostile. The doctor and another individual accompanying him, identified as Santosh Dey, were reportedly assaulted.
Police arrived at the spot after being informed. Dr. Mukherjee later lodged a written complaint. “I was beaten for protesting against injustice. I was also threatened that my hospital would be vandalised if I disclosed the incident:” he alleged. He said he does not personally know the accused. Police have initiated an investigation.
In a separate incident earlier in the day, city auto services on the Matigara–Bagdogra route were suspended after a driver was allegedly attacked at Matigara Bypass More. Drivers claimed that a man tried to forcibly board an auto, and upon being stopped, assaulted the driver and smashed the vehicle’s front windshield. When the driver restrained him, several persons from the nearby Biswas Colony allegedly attacked the driver.
Other drivers who rushed to help were reportedly assaulted with sharp weapons.
A video of the incident has surfaced. In protest, drivers halted services between Matigara and Bagdogra and staged a demonstration outside Matigara Police Station, demanding immediate arrests.
They warned of an indefinite suspension if swift action is not taken, alleging rising incidents of intoxication and crime in the area.
