Ambulance Delay Controversy in Assam: DGP Clarifies Non-Emergency Status, Urges Caution

Assam Director General of Police (DGP) GP Singh addressed the controversy surrounding an ambulance stuck in traffic due to a minister’s convoy in Jorhat. Singh clarified that the ambulance in question, captured in a viral video, was on non-emergency movement without a patient on board. He emphasized that the police personnel on duty had stopped the ambulance, consistent with the protocol for vehicles without patients on non-emergency missions.

Singh reiterated the sensitization of police and traffic personnel across the state about prioritizing route clearance for ambulances with patients or on emergency movements. Additionally, he urged ambulances on non-emergency duties to refrain from using flashers.

The incident occurred amid heightened security measures and frequent ministerial visits in Jorhat, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming two-day visit to Jorhat and Kaziranga. Reports suggested that the Jorhat Police delayed the ambulance, allegedly with a patient, and pedestrians to facilitate the smooth passage of the minister’s convoy, causing disruptions to emergency services in the process.