Injured Man Left Unattended For Hours In Silchar; Police, Ambulance Accused Of Delaying Help

A critically injured unidentified man was left lying on the roadside at Capital Point in Silchar for hours late on Saturday night (August 30), sparking anger among locals over alleged police negligence and delayed response from the 108 Ambulance Service.

According to eyewitnesses, the man fell into an uncovered roadside gutter, left exposed due to poor-quality work, and sustained severe injuries. When they first called the 108 Ambulance service, the locals complained that it stated a 3- to 4-hour waiting time. Later, despite repeated calls, the Malugram Police Outpost allegedly refused to provide immediate assistance.

A local told reporters, “When we went to Malugram Outpost, they had asked us to write a report if we needed their help. A man has fallen inside the gutter and is badly injured, while police are supposed to help, they are asking us to file a report. Is it so important to delay help to an injured person using bureaucratic red tape?”

With no assistance from the police or the 108 ambulance service, locals contacted the media for help. Only after intervention from journalists and a phone call to the Sadar Police did a team of a few policemen arrive and take the injured person to the hospital after nearly two hours.

The situation turned tense when a police constable allegedly misbehaved with journalists and tried to snatch a reporter’s phone while they were covering the incident. He also pushed media persons and clashed with locals before the matter was calmed down.

This is not an isolated case. Across Silchar city, several stretches of footpaths remain dilapidated, with uncovered drains and incomplete construction posing a serious risk to pedestrians. On the evening of August 27, around 7:30 PM, a boy returning home from tuition fell into an uncovered roadside drain in Silchar’s Ambicapatty area. Unable to see clearly without his spectacles, he slipped and got trapped inside the drain, crying for help. A bystander, along with another passerby, rushed to his aid and, after much effort, managed to rescue him. Though the boy escaped with minor injuries, the incident highlighted the dangers posed by incomplete and poorly maintained footpaths in the city. Locals are calling them the “Killer Caves of Silchar”.

With Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma scheduled to visit Silchar on Sunday (August 31), residents have expressed concerns over the state of law and order in the city. The injured man is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital.