Guwahati: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma apologised to a patient and the patient’s family after their ambulance was stopped by officials to make way for his convoy in Silchar on Wednesday. He also ordered an inquiry into the incident.In a post on X, Sarma said stopping an ambulance for his convoy was “unacceptable” and made it clear that VIP movement must not come at the cost of emergency medical care.“Today in Silchar, an ambulance was halted to make way for my convoy. This is unacceptable, and I apologise to the patient and their family,” Sarma said.“No Chief Minister’s passage should ever take precedence over a life in need of urgent care,” he added.Sarma said he had issued clear directions that VIP movement should not disrupt ordinary citizens, and expressed concern that those instructions had not been implemented.“My directions that VIP movement must not disrupt ordinary citizens have been clear. That they were not implemented is deeply troubling,” he said.The chief minister said he had directed the officials concerned to take firm action against those responsible and ordered an inquiry into the incident.“Let this be a clear warning: the directives on the CM’s convoy shall be enforced in letter and spirit. Anyone found violating them will face strict consequences,” he said.The incident comes amid scrutiny of VIP traffic protocols, particularly when emergency vehicles require unhindered passage. Sarma’s intervention has also drawn attention to the enforcement of the directions governing movement of the CM’s convoy.
