When the tragic accident involving a newborn at Guwahati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) shook public conscience, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma responded in his habitual political style — admitting it was an “avoidable negligence.” The statement, though appearing candid, was less an act of accountability and more a calculated manoeuvre in the art of political statetetics: acknowledge the incident just enough to appear sensitive, but never deeply enough to expose the cracks of the system he oversees.

As expected, the rituals followed:

An inquiry committee was announced, A few suspensions were ordered, Responsibility was shifted downward to the “innocent ones” in the chain of command. But the larger questions remain conveniently unanswered:

1. Poor Health Infrastructure – GMCH, touted as the state’s premier medical institution, struggles with basic facilities, overcrowding, and fragile safety standards. If this can happen here, what about district hospitals?

2. Absence of Professionalism – Instead of systemic reforms, governments prefer scapegoats. Professional accountability in public healthcare remains alien. The blame is shifted to individuals while the system escapes scrutiny.

3. Eroding Accountability – Every medical mishap follows the same script: outrage, committee, suspension, and silence. No structural change. No long-term monitoring.

4. Lack of Governance – The incident exposes the state’s governance deficit. Health, a fundamental service, is treated as a political stage where “optics” outweigh real reform.

The tragedy, therefore, is twofold — one, the death or suffering of innocents; two, the political reduction of such events into manageable narratives of lies, half-truths, and routine damage control.

The newborn accident at GMCH is not just a medical tragedy, it is a symptom of a deeper malaise in Assam’s governance — a culture where healthcare collapses under the weight of populist slogans, while accountability gets buried under inquiry reports.

Until these unanswered questions are addressed, the “art of lies and statetetics” will continue to thrive, and the people will keep paying the price.