Kangpokpi Medics Rise Against ‘Barbaric’ Chawangkining Attack on Medical Team, Rights Body Stands in Solidarity

Doctors, nurses and other health department personnel in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Saturday staged a strong protest wearing black badge outside the District Hospital here, condemning the alleged attack on a medical team at Chawangkining village on August 27 and demanding protection for healthcare workers on duty.

The protest came two days after a medical team travelling from Kangpokpi towards PHC T. Waichong under security escort was allegedly intercepted and assaulted by a mob at Chawangkining.

According to the Health Department, three medical personnel, including a doctor, sustained injuries, while three ambulances were vandalised and medicines worth lakhs of rupees were allegedly destroyed in the attack.

Holding placards carrying messages such as “Protect Medics, Protect Humanity”, “Save Doctors to Save Patients”, “Doctor Deserve Dignity, Not Violence”, "Ambulance Carries a Heart Beat, Vandalism of Ambulance Signifies Destruction of Human Kind", "Attack on Doctor is Non-bailable Offence", and “Burning of Medicines is Burning of Human Life”, the protesting health workers denounced the incident as a grave attack on the medical fraternity and essential healthcare services.

Addressing the media, Dr Len Kamkhosat Khongsai, Senior Specialist, Public Health and representative of the Kangpokpi Health Department, said the medical team was performing its official duty when it was allegedly stopped by the mob.

He said the attackers allegedly snatched medicines from an ambulance and burnt them, before physically assaulting doctors and other medical personnel inside the vehicles.

“The mob tried to dislodge the doctors and medical staff from the ambulances and attacked them with stones, boulders and sticks/lathis. All the glass panes of the ambulances were broken,” Khongsai alleged.

He further alleged that security personnel present at the spot did not actively intervene to disperse the mob, forcing the medical team to depend on the bravery of the ambulance drivers to escape the situation.

The incident, he said, not only endangered the lives of healthcare workers but also disrupted the movement of medical supplies meant for patients in vulnerable and conflict-affected areas.

Khongsai said the protest was organised to peacefully condemn what he described as a “barbaric” and violent attack on 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, stressing that attacks on medical personnel were unacceptable in a civilised society.

The Health Department representative appealed to citizens not to obstruct the movement of medical teams or medical supplies, saying uninterrupted access to healthcare must be ensured for everyone.

He also urged security agencies to provide safe and active security escorts to medical teams travelling through conflict-sensitive areas.

The health workers' protest underscored growing concerns over the safety of frontline medical personnel, whose work often requires them to travel through volatile areas to deliver essential healthcare services.

The protesters demanded that those responsible for the alleged assault and destruction of medical property be brought to justice and that concrete measures be taken to prevent recurrence of such attacks.

“Protect the healers, protect healthcare, protect humanity” emerged as the central message of the protest, as doctors and medical staff made it clear that violence against those serving patients cannot be allowed to become the price of delivering healthcare in conflict-affected Manipur.

Standing firmly with the doctors, nurses and healthcare workers who came under attack, KWOHR Kangpokpi District condemned the assault on medical personnel, vandalism of ambulances and destruction of medicines at Chawangkining Liangmei Naga village in the strongest possible terms, saying it has exposed a grave and escalating human rights crisis in the beleaguered Twilang region.

KWOHR said the incident was not merely an attack on medical workers, but a direct assault on the lifeline of civilians already facing severe restrictions on access to essential services.

It further alleged that continued violence and blockade in the area had already contributed to the deaths of two infants and two adults due to lack of timely medical attention.

“This is a blatant violation of fundamental rights and basic human rights of Twilang villagers,” the organisation said, describing Chawangkining as a strategic gateway connecting Kangpokpi with the Twilang area.

The KWOHR accused groups in Chawangkining of allegedly using violence and economic restrictions to deprive civilians of essential commodities and medical assistance, resulting in what it described as a “humanitarian crisis”.

The organisation also alleged that the State had failed to ensure security and basic provisions for Kuki-Zo villages in the area.

Condemning the attack, KWOHR demanded that the authorities ensure unhindered movement of medical teams and essential supplies and take effective measures to protect civilians and healthcare workers.