RG Kar Protests: West Bengal Medical Council seeks details of another Junior doctor

Kolkata: Following the brutal rape and murder of a female postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024, the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC) has launched an inquiry into the attendance and duty records of Kinjal Nanda, a prominent leader in the doctors’ movement. This move comes soon after the police raided the residence of Dr Asfakulla Naiya, another leading figure among junior doctors.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the West Bengal Medical Council has issued a show-cause notice to Asfakullah Naiya, a prominent leader of the junior doctors' movement protesting against the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The notice accuses Naiya of practising as an ENT specialist at a private hospital without the necessary qualifications.

A health department official said that the Council had sent a letter to the hospital requesting the administration to clarify within seven days whether Nanda's attendance at classes and the hospital wards met the mandatory 80% requirement and whether he frequently took leave.

Dr. Kausik Biswas, a member of the Council, stated that there is nothing irregular about the inquiry. He explained that post-graduate students are required to undergo full-time training, so the inquiry is valid if there is a reason to initiate one.

In response to the inquiry, Nanda, who is also an amateur actor, expressed his belief that his personal time and activities outside duty hours should not be scrutinized.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Nanda said, “I welcome the inquiry but what I do in my personal time is entirely my business. When the police made the move against Naiya, we knew more doctors would be targeted.”

The back-to-back inquiries into the two junior doctors, both of whom were at the forefront of the protests and even met with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to discuss their demands, have sparked allegations of political retaliation.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Bengal unit general secretary Agnimitra Paul said that the chief minister is nurturing vengeance against those who speak against her, calling these actions revengeful.

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The parents of the rape and murder victim have stood by the junior doctors throughout their five-month-long movement, demanding justice. The victim’s father expressed anger at the potential targeting of doctors involved in the protests According to Hindustan Times, he said, “Their agitation will intensify if the government targets them. Being in charge of the health department, the chief minister should accept her responsibility and resign.”

Aniket Mahato, another prominent leader of the movement and a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College, condemned the actions of the state government, claiming that the aim was to instill fear in the medical community. As per the news reports, he said, “We will hit the streets again if the government continues to create fear among doctors.”

However, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh dismissed the allegations of political vendetta as baseless. He said that a section of junior doctors had alleged that some members of their fraternity used the agitation as a platform for professional gain, claiming that some of their colleagues did not attend duty. He added that the inquiry is a government matter and has nothing to do with politics.