Intensive protests by students and junior doctors of the North Bengal Medical College & Hospital (NBMCH) here prompted Sandeep Sengupta, the dean of student affairs, and Sudipta Shil, the assistant dean, to resign from their posts on Wednesday night.

Since Wednesday afternoon, the protesters had confined them along with Indrajit Saha, the principal, to Saha's chamber, alleging highhandedness by some doctors who are associated with the Trinamul Chhatra Parishad (TMCP). The protesters also alleged malpractices by the TMCP-backed doctors during exams conducted at the medical college.

Sengupta, who tried to placate the grievance of the students as the protests continued till late evening, came in their line of fire. The protesters alleged that he and Shil had encouraged such malpractices carried out by Avik Dey, a former student of the NBMCH and a first-year PGT in SSKM Hospital, Calcutta.

Avik was allegedly present at the crime scene at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital in Calcutta after the murder of the woman doctor. Earlier this week, TMCP suspended him and on Thursday, the health department issued his suspension order.

While facing the protests, Sengupta had admitted that Dey used to call him during exams. He, however, denied involvement in any malpractice related to the exams.

“I have resigned from the dean's post and from now on, I am only a faculty member of the gynaecology department. The assistant dean has resigned from his post. We have done it because the students and junior doctors wanted it. Let me reassert that I was not involved in corruption,” Sengupta said on Thursday.

The demonstrators at NBMCH said Avik, who was even deputed as an “observer” during exams, would indulge in malpractices to help students who were close to him. He, along with some others, would threaten students and junior doctors if they raised protests.

Saha, the principal, constituted a committee to probe into the charges levelled by the demonstrators.

“A five-member committee has been formed to investigate the allegations which were made yesterday. It will be headed by Sanjay Kumar Mallick, the vice-principal and medical superintendent of the NBMCH. The committee has been instructed to file its first report by Monday,” said a source.

Even on Thursday, some students and junior doctors submitted fresh complaints of corruption and malpractice to the principal.

“Based on the findings, appropriate actions will be taken. The committee will also check out whether the former dean and former assistant dean of student affairs were involved in any wrongdoing,” the source added.

Koustav Chakraborty, president of the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) at the NBMCH, said they had faith in the committee.

“On Monday, there will be a college council meeting where the complaints and the report will be discussed,” he said.

Ever since the junior doctor had been raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Calcutta, junior doctors at government-run facilities have been on cease-work.