RG Kar case: West Bengal Medical Council suspends 3 doctors close to Sandip Ghosh

West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC), on Saturday, 7 September announced the suspension of three doctors who are known to be close confidants of the former principal of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital, Sandip Ghosh.

The three doctors include the erstwhile Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of radiodiagnosis department of Burdwan Medical College, Avik De, former senior resident doctor attached to the pathology department of the same hospital, Birupaksha Biswas, and junior doctor of Midnapore Medical College & Hospital, Mustafizur Rahaman Mallick.

The common allegation against all three of them is using their closeness to Ghosh and leaders of the ruling dispensation to threaten and harass junior doctors at their respective workplaces.

On 5 September, the West Bengal Health Department announced the suspension of both Avik De and Birupaksha Biswas from state medical services.

Besides suspension De is also facing a departmental probe initiated against him.

On the other hand, the suspension order for Biswas was issued just a day after he was transferred from Burdwan Medical College in East Burdwan district to Kakdwip Sub-divisional Hospital in South 24 Parganas district.

Since the incident of the rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G Kar surfaced, several junior doctors have accused De and Biswas, both confidants of Ghosh, of introducing “threat culture” where junior doctors and interns were threatened by them to act as directed.

Recently, there were protests by junior doctors at Midnapore Medical College & Hospital against Mallick on the same charges of running a “threat culture” in the same hospital.

Some members of the medical fraternity have claimed that the council should have taken steps against the three doctors and at least cautioned them much before, since the complaints of threatening and harassing junior doctors against them is nothing new.

On Saturday, the council also issued a show-cause notice to Sandip Ghosh, who is currently in CBI's custody because of his alleged links with the financial irregularities at R.G. Kar. His registration might be cancelled if he fails to give any reply to the show-cause notice within the next three days.