New Delhi: The Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal has apparently bowed to pressure of the medical students who have been protesting against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
Yielding to their mounting demands, the government on Wednesday night removed the new Principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital Suhrita Pal as well as Medical Superintendent cum Vice-Principal (MSVP) Bulbul Mukherjee. The government also removed Head of the Chest Medicine Department Arunava Datta Chowdhury. Health Secretary NS Nigam announced this at RG Kar Hospital on Wednesday night. A delegation of medical students met government officials at the Swasthya Bhavan after which the announcement was made.
The agitating doctors had raised their pitch for removal of the new principal during their protests, which have continued since the grisly rape and murder took place.
According to reports, Manas Bandopadhaye has been appointed as the new principal of RG Kar Medical College. The Health Department has also scrapped former principal Sandip Ghosh’s appointment as the principal of Calcutta National Medical College. The protests had intensified after Ghosh was sacked as principal in the wake of rape-murder but was soon appointed as principal of another college. The government had faced massive backlash for the controversial move.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, a team of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) visited RG Kar Medical College and Hospital for inspection following the direction of the Supreme Court. On Tuesday, the apex court had pulled up the West Bengal government for the mob rampage at the hospital on the intervening night of August 14-15.