De, an RMO in the Radiodiagnosis Department of Burdwan Medical College, was suspended by the state Health Department on September 5 after allegations of corruption among others surfaced against him as protests over the August 9 rape-murder intensified.
De was also associated with the ruling TMC’s students’ outfit before getting suspended.
De was close to controversial former principal of RG Kar hospital, Dr Sandip Ghosh, who is currently in jail for alleged corruption and tampering of evidence in the rape-murder case.
In its report, the probe panel said: “It is unfortunate that Dr Avik De, with so many allegations of threat, impropriety and unethical behavior against him, has been a member of the West Bengal Medical Council and involved in its Ethical and Penal Committee and also nominated as a state government representative in the West Bengal Pharmacy Council. He has been debarred from entering multiple medical colleges in the state as a fallout of inquiries done by local authorities and also suspended by the government. In view of these he should be debarred from both these positions.”
The four-member panel — comprising Pitbaran Chakraborty, principal (NRS Medical College & Hospital; Utpal Dan, principal (Diamond Harbour Government Medical College); Ramaprasad Roy, principal (Prafulla Chandra Sen Government Medical College, Arambagh); and Avijit Hazra, Dean of Students Affairs, IPGME&R – submitted its report to the Director, Medical Education, on October 4.
On De’s presence at the crime scene at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital on August 9 after the 31-year-old junior doctor’s body was discovered, the panel in its report stated: “Dr Avik De did not deny that he was present at the crime scene… but said that he went there along with other members of the West Bengal Medical Council, without specifying who had called or instructed them to visit. He said that he did not manipulate anything at the crime scene and went only so far as the police permitted them.”
The report indicted De of being involved in threat culture saying “he was a frequent infiltrator in medical colleges and terrorised students to stand by him and forced them to help his followers by manipulation in exam process and also possible tampering of marks”.
“Because of his position of influence in the West Bengal Medical Council, it is possible that he has threatened students and interns regarding medical registration,” the probe panel said.
The panel stated that one of the four students who received Grand Honors from a single medical college in the final MBBS examination — “a very challenging task achievable only by brilliant students” — “has admitted in writing that he is undeserving of grand honors and achieved the same because of his forced dedication to Dr Avik De, his wife and his associates”.
“This raises suspicion whether the other awardees are truly deserving,” the panel said.
On allegations that girl students of Burdwan Medical College and Hospital were forced to attend late night parties and were threatened of getting failed in examination for “non-cooperation”, the report said that De in his defence said that “because of his organizational work [aami to sangathan kori’] (possibly meaning his association with Trinamool Chhatra Parishad) he is known to and interacts with various students, doctors and faculty”.
“He denied having any role in threatening MBBS students and junior doctors and said he was never involved in forcing students to participate in rallies in protest against the transfer of ex-R G Kar principal Dr Sandip Ghosh,” the report stated.
“He (De) accepted that his birthday or other functions may have been celebrated there (at the college Guest House) although he could not recall the precise dates of such functions… He also said that ‘many’ such functions are held in the Guest House with knowledge of college authority although he could not precisely name any single other personal event being celebrated there,” the report stated.
“He (De) said that several people, including students, attended these functions and he neither threatened anybody to attend nor was aware of anybody doing so on his behalf for going to parties in the Guest House, attending political rallies or tampering with examination results,” the report stated.
On the allegation of being involved in human body trafficking, De, the report stated, “had no comments… as he had no involvement with the anatomy department and its mortuary”.
“As per telephonic query with Prof Janaki Das Sarkar, HOD Anatomy, BMCH, the Inquiry Committee has learned an incident of attempted cadaver smuggling did occur but this was discovered by faculty in the nick of time and informed to the Principal who alerted police and security staff… This occurred in November 2023 and these two bodies are still preserved in the anatomy department in a sealed state,” the report stated.