RG Kar Protest: 4 senior doctors accused of disrupting West Bengal Medical Council's operations

Kolkata: The West Bengal Medical Council has raised accusations against four senior doctors who hold positions in hospitals across the state who have been central figures in the agitation following the tragic rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. 

The council’s former registrar, Manas Chakraborty, filed a formal complaint at the Salt Lake Electronics Complex police station in late January, claiming that the four doctors—Manas Gumta, Subarna Goswami, Utpal Banerjee, and Ranjan Bhattacharya—were involved in hindering the operations of the council.

However, no action has been taken regarding the issue so far. The police have neither registered a case nor summoned the doctors for questioning. 

Also read- HC directs WBMC Registrar to resign by today

It is to be noted that Medical Dialogues had previously reported that the Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the registrar of the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC), Manas Chakraborty to voluntarily resign from his position by 5 p.m. on January 31. The court noted that he had been holding the post for over five years, despite retiring in 2019, and without the necessary approval from the state government.

Chakraborty also faced criticism for issuing a show-cause notice to Asfaqulla Naiya, a prominent figure in the junior doctors’ movement over the R.G. Kar rape and murder case. Naiya was accused of conducting private practice as an ENT specialist without possessing the necessary degree. A police investigation was also started against Naiya. However, a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court in January had provided him with an interim shield against any coercive police action against him, including arrest.

Back to the allegations raised agaisnt the doctors, Dr Gumta, who is the most senior among the accused, strongly rejected the allegations. He told Hindustan Times that neither the police nor the council had contacted any of the four doctors as of early February. 

“Even the council has not contacted us. The allegation is baseless and defamatory in nature,” he said.

Chakraborty’s complaint comes days after the council and state police initiated separate probes against two RG Kar Hospital junior doctors, Kinjal Nanda and Asfaqullah Naiya, who were prominent figures in the agitation.

Medical Dialogues had reported that the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC) launched an inquiry into the attendance and duty records of Kinjal Nanda, a prominent leader in the doctors’ movement. This move was taken soon after the police raided the residence of Dr Asfakulla Naiya, another leading figure among junior doctors.

In response to the allegations against doctors who led the agitation, Punyabrata Gun, one of the conveners of the joint platform of doctors, claimed that Supreme Court orders were being violated. “During its second hearing, the Supreme Court said no action should be taken against the agitators. But the doctors are now being selectively targeted,” said Gun.

Also read- Calcutta HC Grants Interim Stay on Probe Against RG Kar Doctor, Cites Lack of Evidence