Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district staged a peaceful protest on Saturday by wearing black badges outside the District Hospital, condemning the alleged assault on a medical team at Chawangkining village on August 27 and demanding stronger security for medical personnel working in conflict-sensitive areas.
The protest came two days after a medical team travelling from Kangpokpi to Primary Health Centre (PHC) T. Waichong under security escort was allegedly intercepted and attacked by a mob at Chawangkining.
According to the Health Department, three medical personnel, including a doctor, were injured in the incident. Three ambulances were also allegedly vandalised, while medicines worth several lakhs of rupees were reportedly destroyed.
The protesting healthcare workers carried placards bearing messages such as “Protect Medics, Protect Humanity”, “Save Doctors to Save Patients”, “Doctors Deserve Dignity, Not Violence” and “Burning of Medicines is Burning of Human Life”.
Addressing the media, Dr Len Kamkhosat Khongsai, Senior Specialist, Public Health, and a representative of the Kangpokpi Health Department, said the medical team was travelling in connection with its official duties when it was allegedly stopped by a mob.
Khongsai alleged that the attackers removed medicines from one of the ambulances and set them on fire before assaulting doctors and other medical personnel inside the vehicles.
He alleged that the mob attempted to pull doctors and healthcare workers out of the ambulances and attacked them with stones, boulders and sticks. The windows of all three ambulances were reportedly smashed.
Khongsai further alleged that security personnel present at the site did not take effective action to disperse the mob. He said the medical team eventually depended on the ambulance drivers to safely move out of the area.
According to the Health Department representative, the incident not only put the lives of medical personnel at risk but also disrupted the movement of medicines and other essential supplies meant for patients living in vulnerable and conflict-affected areas.
Khongsai said the protest was organised to peacefully condemn the alleged attack and draw attention to the need for adequate protection of healthcare workers.
“Medical staff while on duty are not bound by any caste or community affiliation. They are bound only by the responsibility to provide service to humanity,” he said.
He appealed to local residents not to obstruct the movement of medical teams and essential medical supplies and urged security agencies to provide effective protection to healthcare personnel travelling through conflict-sensitive areas.
The protesters also demanded action against those responsible for the alleged assault, vandalism and destruction of medicines, along with concrete measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
Meanwhile, the Kangpokpi district unit of KWOHR expressed solidarity with the affected doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers and condemned the alleged assault, vandalism of ambulances and destruction of medicines at Chawangkining Liangmei Naga village.
The organisation described the incident as a serious human rights concern, saying that the alleged attack had further affected access to essential healthcare for civilians in the Twilang region.
KWOHR alleged that continuing violence and restrictions on movement in the area had contributed to the deaths of two infants and two adults because they could not receive timely medical attention. These allegations could not be independently verified.
The rights organisation also alleged that groups in Chawangkining had used violence and economic restrictions to obstruct the movement of essential commodities and medical assistance, creating what it described as a humanitarian crisis.
It further alleged that the state had failed to adequately ensure security and basic provisions for Kuki-Zo villages in the area.
KWOHR urged the authorities to ensure the unhindered movement of medical teams and essential supplies, strengthen security arrangements and take effective measures to protect civilians as well as healthcare workers.
The protest comes amid continuing concerns over the safety of frontline medical personnel working in conflict-affected parts of Manipur, where access to healthcare often depends on the safe movement of medical teams, ambulances and essential supplies through sensitive areas.
