Protests against the alleged highhandedness of a section of junior doctors close to the Trinamul Chhatra Parishad at the North Bengal Medical College & Hospital (NBMCH) have prompted the authorities to expel three of them and file a police complaint.
Earlier this week, hundreds of junior doctors and students of the NBMCH had gheraoed the principal and some officials for a day, demanding exemplary steps against a few junior doctors, including Avik Dey — a first-year post-graduate trainee at SSKM Hospital in Calcutta — for threatening and intimidating them.
The protesters alleged that these junior doctors also resorted to malpractice during exams at the medical college at the behest of Dey.
Dey, who was reportedly present at the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital after the rape and murder of the post-graduate trainee, has been suspended by the state health department. The West Bengal Medical Council, of which he was a member, has suspended him.
“Indrajit Saha, the NBMCH principal, has filed a complaint at the police outpost of NBMCH, naming three post-graduate trainees who are close associates of Dey. All four of them have also been expelled from the college and the hostel and have been debarred from entering the NBMCH premises unless they are called for any purpose,” said a source.
The expelled trio are Saheen Sarkar, a house staff at the department of general surgery; Soham Mondal, an intern at the same department; and Nilabjo Ghosh, a resident medical officer at the department of neuromedicine.
“Though Dey no longer studies at the college, it has been found that he used to exert pressure on some officials to carry out malpractices during the exams. That is why, he too, has been debarred from entering the NBMCH,” the source added.
On September 4, during the protests of junior doctors and students, Sandip Sengupta, the dean of student affairs, and his deputy had resigned from their posts. Sengupta had admitted that Dey used to call him repeatedly during exams.
After the protests, the principal had also formed a committee to probe the allegations. The committee is likely to submit its report on Monday.
Despite the initiatives, further protests have been lined up at the NBMCH. On Monday, NBMCH head clerk Utpal Sarkar announced that he would stage a sit-in demanding Saha’s resignation over alleged anomalies during his tenure.
“I will launch the demonstration at 11am. Along with the doctors, these handful of people also used to intimidate the staff across NBMCH. The principal sat silent and didn’t do anything until the students and junior doctors protested. We want his resignation,” said Sarkar.
Susrutanagar Nagarik Mancha — an apolitical body of residents living near the NBMCH — will demonstrate before the principal’s chamber on Monday.
“We will demonstrate for four hours and will submit a memorandum to the principal. He should immediately take steps to curb corruption and malpractices at the NBMCH. The students should be provided with an appropriate academic environment and the culture of intimidation has to end,” said a representative of the mancha.
The NBMCH is the largest state-run referral hospital and the oldest medical college in north Bengal.
