Assam's anti-quack drive nets 62 fake doctors, 59 cases in year-long crackdown

Guwahati, June 27: Following a year-long crackdown on fake medical practitioners across Assam, authorities have arrested 62 fake doctors and registered 59 criminal cases, with the state government on Friday vowing to intensify action against quacks who endanger patients’ lives.

Describing the drive as part of the government’s campaign to eliminate social evils and make Assam safer, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that after taking on drug syndicates and child marriage, the government’s next major focus is fake doctors.

“After our intensive campaign against drug syndicates and child marriages, we are targeting another menace that threatens society. Our next focus is quacks, as it concerns the sanctity of our healthcare system and the lives of innocent patients,” Sarma said.

The statewide anti-quack drive was launched in August last year after authorities received several complaints against fake medical practitioners. Many of the accused had allegedly set up private clinics and even performed surgeries despite lacking recognised medical degrees or valid certification from the National Medical Commission.

In the latest action, police in Cachar district arrested two more alleged fake doctors, Bikran Sinha and Biswajit Sinha, who were reportedly running private clinics in Silchar and Kabuganj. They have been booked under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery, using forged documents as genuine and acts endangering human life.

Police are also investigating whether the two accused are linked to a wider network of fake medical practitioners operating in the state.

Cachar has emerged as the epicentre of the anti-quack drive, recording more than 20 arrests in June alone, including the latest two. In one of the most sensational cases, an accused allegedly practised medicine for nearly four decades using forged credentials and reportedly performed numerous gynaecological surgeries and caesarean sections without any recognised medical qualification. In another case in Nalbari district, a fake doctor allegedly treated diabetic patients for years using an expired degree and a fake online profile while collecting substantial fees.

The Assam government has urged people to seek treatment only from registered medical practitioners and report suspected cases of fraudulent medical practice. Police and district administrations said the crackdown will continue, with strict action against anyone found illegally practising medicine.

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