Doboka Incident: Gauhati HC Directs Assam Govt to Submit Detailed Affidavit

The Gauhati High Court on Friday directed the state government to file a detailed affidavit on Doboka incident.

The Gauhati High Court has filed its own case on the Doboka Shelter Home incident in which over 50 children fell sick and were hospitalized.

The case was heard by the chief justice of the court Justice Sandeep Mehta who questioned the state government as to why no provisions were made for the safety of the children.

Justice Mehta asked the public prosecutor, “What if they were your children? What would you have done then?”

The high court have appointed senior advocate Bhaskar Dev Konwar as amicus curiae (a person who volunteers to help the court in deciding some matters) to make a report on the case.

The state government has been directed to submit a detailed affidavit following the amicus curiae’s report.

Notably on Wednesday, over 50 children at a temporary shelter home in Assam’s Doboka fell seriously ill.

As per initial reports, the children who are residents of the shelter home suddenly fell sick. Symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, headache and nausea were seen among those who reported illness.

According to information received, all of the children who fell ill were aged between 1.5 years to 6 years. Emergency services were called in after the symptoms began to show.

As many as four ambulances rushed to the spot and carried the children to a nearby hospital. They were taken to hospital under the supervision of All Assam Minority Students' Union (AAMSU) Hojai district unit.

Meanwhile, the exact cause as to how so many children suddenly fell ill was not known at the time. Though, it was thought that the intense heat conditions coupled with the fact that the shelter homes are made out of tarpaulin which traps heat, could have led to their illness.

A doctor at the hospital said, “Around 50 children have been admitted here and most of them are showing symptoms of cough, cold and fever. Some of them also have measles. We are taking care of them and have given them the necessary medications.”

“We have also prescribed additional medicines. As per initial examination, it looks like they are all suffering from dehydration. For that, we have given them oral rehydration solutions. Further treatment is underway and we hope they will get better soon,” added the doctor.

In addition, a spokesperson for AAMSU said, “We received information that these small children were suffering and we reached there immediately. We made the necessary arrangements for ambulances to bring them to the hospital.”

He said, “These children were part of families who were evicted inhumanly from their homes and were given temporary shelter in these tarpaulin made camps. They have been staying there for the past two years and catch such diseases from time to time.”

“These small children have not done anything wrong to the government. They should not be on the receiving end of such suffering. I urge the government to ensure that basic medical facilities among others are provided to people who are evicted,” added the AAMSU spokesperson.

Also Read: Assam: Over 50 Children In Doboka Shelter Home Fall Sick, Hospitalised