Tension gripped the Shantir Bazar of South District on Sunday morning following the tragic death of a nine-month-old baby girl at the Shantir Bazar District Hospital.

The family of the deceased has alleged that the infant, Diksa Das, died due to medical negligence and lack of timely intervention by the hospital authorities.

According to sources, Rajib Das, a resident of Kalachara under the Shantir Bazar subdivision, brought his daughter Diksa to the district hospital around 6 AM after she complained of stomach pain since the previous night. The attending physician, identified as Dr. Debashree Reang, examined the child and prescribed two medications.

The family claims that they purchased the prescribed medicines from a local pharmacy and administered one of them to the baby on the way home.

Soon after, Diksa reportedly collapsed. She was immediately rushed back to the hospital, but the family alleges that Dr. Reang refused to attend to the child, stating that her duty hours were over.

The infant was later declared dead, sparking outrage among the grieving family and locals. The family claims that had the doctor attended to Diksa upon their return, her life might have been saved.

In a shocking twist, the family has also filed a complaint against Sub-Inspector Sameer of the Shantir Bazar police station, accusing him of political intimidation.

They alleged that SI warned them not to raise allegations against the doctor, stating that she belongs to a tribal community and that the Tipra Motha party might intervene if any accusations were made.

Following the incident, senior officials, including the Sub-Divisional Police Officer and the Medical Superintendent (MS) of the hospital, rushed to the scene to assess the situation. Speaking to the media, MS Dr. J. S. Reang stated that the child had been seen by doctors in time and that the actual cause of death could only be determined through a post-mortem examination.

“The body was handed over to the family members after the autopsy was conducted in the presence of all concerned,” Dr. Riang added.