Assam Tea Worker Dies Amid Claims of Medical Negligence

Guwahati: Bijoy Kharia, a 30-year-old ad-hoc worker, died Friday afternoon at the Rupai Tea Estate factory in Tinsukia. He collapsed while on duty, but help failed to arrive. Family and colleagues blame the death on the lack of an ambulance and insufficient medical equipment at the garden hospital. That hospital sits 15 km away from the Doomdooma First Referral Unit.

Chaos erupted following the death. Thousands of workers and leaders from the Assam Tea Tribes Students Association surrounded the office of garden manager Ujjwal Kant Saikia. Baghjan Police arrived shortly after to restore order. Authorities sent the body to undergo a post-mortem examination.

Irot Tanti, president of the ATTSA Doomdooma regional committee, demanded justice for the grieving family. "Kharia's death was the result of management negligence. We do not want such managers in any tea garden. The bereaved family must be provided compensation immediately, and all necessary support must be extended to his young children until they become self-dependent," Tanti said.

The tragedy highlights failing infrastructure in tea gardens. Locals like Dilip Tanti suggest moving toward digital health records and telemedicine to prevent future deaths. He argues that modern technology, including artificial intelligence, could better track doctor attendance and patient histories to ensure staff make proper medical decisions. The call for systemic change grows as residents demand better emergency care.