RG Kar erupts in protest against ‘threat culture’ docs
Times of India | 24 October 2024
Kolkata: At least eight interns at RG Kar, who were among those who were suspended by a special college council for promoting “threat culture” on the campus, returned to the medical college on Wednesday, a day after the Calcutta High Court stayed their suspension. But as they stepped into the campus, they faced stiff resistance from other interns and students, who insisted they felt insecure and that they would move court against the stay order.
The junior doctors claimed they would go on fighting to keep the “threat syndicate” out of the campus.
As eight of the suspended interns entered the campus and went to their assigned wards in departments, such as gynaecology, surgery and medicine, the other junior doctors raised an alarm. They walked out, saying they felt insecure working in the presence of those involved in “threat culture”. “Those running the ‘threat syndicate’ had been away from the campus since Oct 5. But some of them joined duty on Wednesday after the court gave a stay order. We are considering all options, including legal, to ensure they did not return before their suspensions end,” said an intern.
Earlier, junior doctors at RG Kar had lodged complaints against 59—36 junior doctors and 23 UG students—accusing them of running a threat syndicate on the campus. A committee was formed with multiple HoDs that found evidence against 34 junior doctors and 19 UG students. The special College Council at RG Kar on Oct 5 suspended the 53 from the campus for three to six months, depending on their offences, which included sexual harassment, extortion from fellow students, threat to fail in exams and unethical practices during exams.
Students and junior doctors, who had lodged the complaints, had claimed the gang ran a reign of terror after Sandip Ghosh took charge as RG Kar’s principal in 2021. House staff Asish Pandey, alleged to be one of the main persons behind the “threat syndicate”, is in CBI custody.
Most junior doctors said the suspension should teach the accused a lesso. “The action was taken according to NMC guidelines by a college council, an autonomous body. Now the power of such a council has been questioned. We are consulting legal experts and other stakeholders on ways to counter the court’s stay order or we fear those promoting threat culture will be emboldened,” said Aniket Mahata, anaesthesiology PGT.